Kiko Barzaga unable to make it to ethics hearing after playing video games

Cavite 4th District Representative Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga on Monday was not able to make it in time at the House for the first hearing on the ethics complaint filed against him by his former party-mates.

Barzaga said he was engrossed in video games on Sunday night.

“I wasn’t there, I could not have spoken,” Barzaga told reporters.

“We were very busy last night. I was just playing games on my computer,” he added.

However, it seems that Barzaga did not miss anything since the House Committee on Ethics chaired by 4Ps party-list Representative JC Abalos only decided to form a House ethics panel sub-committee to deliberate on the ethics complaint filed against him by his former party-mates in the National Unity Party (NUP).

House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Representative Ronaldo Puno said this House ethics panel sub-committee will deal with ethics complaints filed by House members against their fellow House members such as the Barzaga case.

Barzaga is being accused of violating the Code of Conduct for public officials and employees over  posts on his Facebook page that were allegedly inappropriate, showed disrespect to some government officials, and seemingly prompting setting the House of Representatives on fire by cautioning the public against burning down Batasang Pambansa until employees and documents have been evacuated.

“This is a new sub-committee. It applies to all cases where the complainant and respondent are both members of the House. But we will decline the arbitration because we are not addressing a personal grievance. Respondent's behavior caused injury to the entire House,” Puno told GMA News Online in a text message.

Asked why the need for the subpanel, Puno replied, “The Committee believes it is necessary.”

Puno also said that Barzaga’s failure to show up before his ethics complaint hearing is not yet ripe for the House to impose a sanction on the lawmaker, such as suspension without pay.

“Hindi naman siguro [ganu'n na dapat ang parusa sa ngayon]. At least sumipot,” Puno added.

(I don't think it merits suspension already. At least, he showed up.) 

A day before his ethics complaint hearing, Barzaga, in a protest action in Makati City, called on the public for support to ask for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. due to the corruption happening in government. -KG, GMA Integrated News