Photo courtesy of Kiko Barzaga/Facebook.
Manila Representative Rolando Valeriano on Wednesday has filed a cyberlibel complaint against Cavite Representative Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga over alleged defamatory statements on social media.
The complaint was lodged with the Office of the Manila City Prosecutor, citing a January 9 Facebook post by Barzaga that accused members of the National Unity Party of receiving bribes from businessman Enrique Razon before the 2025 elections.
Valeriano said the post was publicly shared and amplified across online news platforms, harming the reputation of the party’s lawmakers and creating public suspicion against them.
He described Barzaga’s statements as malicious and reckless, stressing that accusations of bribery must be backed by evidence. “If you claim that legislators were bribed, then you have the duty to prove it,” Valeriano said.
Other members of the NUP affected by the post are reportedly pursuing their own legal actions against Barzaga, according to Valeriano.
This filing marks Barzaga’s third cyberlibel complaint stemming from Facebook posts that were deleted before the filings. Earlier complaints were filed by port magnate Enrique Razon Jr. and House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno of Antipolo City.
Barzaga, a former NUP member, left the party in September 2025 amid speculation linking him to a plan to challenge House leadership, while his late father, Elipidio Barzaga, was one of the party’s founders.