VICE President Sara Duterte advised expelled Cavite Rep. Francisco Barzaga to “be different” and remain true to who he is.
Barzaga was expelled by the House of Representatives on Tuesday for repeated disorderly behavior and conduct unbecoming of a lawmaker.
A total of 265 lawmakers voted for his expulsion, while 14 voted against, with eight abstentions.
In an open letter posted on Facebook, Duterte said that “being different is OK.”
“It takes grit to be yourself in a world that rewards conformity. Not everyone will understand your choices or the path you take, and that’s OK. What matters is staying true to who you are and what you believe in,” Duterte said, noting she was labeled “different,” “crazy” and “dumb,” among other things, for declining to follow the norm.
”You are different because you have never been convicted of child abuse, never brought home ‘maletas’ (suitcases) of public funds, never allowed cocaine and alcohol to flow from your office, and never said yes to corruption and oppression,” Duterte said.
She told Barzaga that it takes courage to charge forward even if no one follows him, and that his path is a daily reminder that character matters more than conformity.
“The strength you show inspires more Filipinos than you may ever know,” Duterte said.
She added that God, the residents of Cavite and Davao, as well as the eagles and cats love him.
Meanwhile, Bagong Henerasyon Partylist Rep. Robert Nazal opined that the offense committed by Barzaga does not merit expulsion, which he called the “most extreme” of all punishments that can be imposed on a member of Congress.
In his explanation of his vote against Barzaga’s expulsion, Nazal said that while he does not condone the controversial lawmaker’s actions and statements, he believes his sanctions should not be as extreme as expulsion.
He added that expulsion should not be treated as an ordinary penalty imposed on any member of Congress regardless of the severity of the offense committed.
”Expulsion is the gravest penalty this House can impose upon one of its members. It is not a mere reprimand, not censure and not suspension. It is the complete removal of an elected representative from the seat entrusted to him by the people,” Nazal said.
He noted that expulsion should be reserved only for the most extreme cases — acts so grave and so incompatible with public office that no lesser penalty would suffice.
Nazal said that Barzaga’s expulsion is not only a penalty against him as a member of Congress, but it also results in the disenfranchisement of his constituents from the fourth district of Cavite who elected him and entrusted him with the responsibility of representing their interests in the legislature.
”When we expel a Member, we also deprive his constituents of the representative they chose through the ballot,” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, House Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said that Barzaga’s expulsion was rooted in accountability and decorum rather than politics.
”I would expect my colleague to also set a standard wherein his behavior and the way he performs his job is commensurate to the public office that he was elected to,” Adiong said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
He said that instead of making allegations without any evidence against his fellow lawmakers, Barzaga should have pursued actions through legitimate legal channels.
He dismissed claims that Barzaga’s expulsion violated freedom of expression.
”There’s a big difference between rumor mongering and free speech,” Adiong said.
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday that Barzaga is ineligible to run for office in future elections because his removal from his post was administrative in nature and did not involve a criminal conviction, which carries the perpetual disqualification from public office.
”Yes, he can file a certificate of candidacy because his removal from office as congressman is not a perpetual disqualification to hold public office,” Garcia said.
He added that the Comelec thoroughly discussed the issue en banc before reaching its position on Barzaga’s eligibility.
Garcia said existing laws and Supreme Court rulings support the view that expulsion from the House does not automatically strip a person of the right to seek elective office in future elections.
Republic Act (RA) 7166 authorizes Comelec to act without waiting for Congress. If a seat becomes vacant at least one year before the end of the term, the Comelec must conduct a special election within 60 to 90 days from the vacancy.
Garcia said that Comelec is mandated to hold the special election in compliance with Section 4 of RA 7166, which states: “In case a permanent vacancy shall occur in the Senate or House of Representatives at least one year before the expiration of the term, the Commission on Elections shall call and hold a special election to fill the vacancy not earlier than 60 days nor longer than 90 days after the occurrence of the vacancy.” The ruling, the poll chief said, is anchored on the April 2025 Supreme Court decision in Hagedorn v. House of Representatives.
Article 6, Section 9 of the Constitution provides that an elected successor may serve the unexpired portion of the term of the official who was expelled.
