(UPDATE) The House of Representatives expelled Cavite 4th District Rep. Francisco Barzaga on June 2, 2026.
With a vote of 265, 14 against and eight abstentions, the plenary adopted Committee Report 298 of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges that expelled Barzaga for his conduct unbecoming of a House member and disorderly behavior.
Committee chairman and 4Ps party-list Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos said Barzaga was already meted two consecutive 60-day suspensions that the panel had to recommended the highest form of punishment, which is expulsion.
"The committee considers [that] another penalty of suspension will not likely deter the improper behavior which continuously reflects negatively on the image of the House of Representatives,” Abalos said.
Early on Tuesday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed an ethics complaint before the House of Representatives against Barzaga over a series of social media posts that allegedly accused the bureau of involvement in an assassination attempt during the recent shooting incident at the Senate.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the complaint was lodged before the House Ethics Committee.
“We filed a complaint against Congressman Barzaga sa Ethics Committee and are requesting for an investigation and eventually disciplinary actions to be taken against him,” Matibag said in an interview.
Matibag added that the complaint stemmed from several social media posts by Barzaga about the Senate shooting incident, which he described as offensive to the NBI and its personnel.
“I am filing it not in my personal capacity but on behalf of the men and women of the National Bureau of Investigation,” he said.
Matibag said the NBI traced and validated at least nine posts from Barzaga’s account that allegedly suggested NBI agents were involved in an assassination attempt and a shooting incident connected to the Senate.
“There are nine posts that we traced from his account. It was validated as his account,” Matibag said.
He said the posts effectively accused members of the NBI of participating in a supposed assassination plot, an allegation the bureau strongly denies.
