MANILA — House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno on Tuesday, January 20, filed a cyberlibel complaint against Rep. Kiko Barzaga (Cavite, 4th District) over Facebook posts alleging bribery involving the National Unity Party (NUP).

Puno, who chairs the House’s second-largest party, lodged the complaint at the Antipolo City Prosecutor’s Office, citing posts made on Barzaga’s official Facebook account, “Congressman Kiko Barzaga,” which has around 1.2 million followers. One of the posts, published on January 9, claimed that NUP members accepted bribes from businessman Enrique Razon Jr. ahead of the 2025 midterm elections to back Rep. Martin Romualdez’s speakership bid. The post has since been deleted.

Puno denied the claims and argued in the complaint that the bribery allegations constitute a criminal offense and meet the elements of cyberlibel, as they were made publicly through a computer system with malicious intent.

“You cannot casually accuse someone of a crime, broadcast it to millions, and expect to hide behind social media antics,” Puno said in a statement. “We will pursue full accountability under the law.”

Other posts referenced in the complaint include one on January 13, in which Barzaga said Puno was “bought by Enrique Razon,” and two on January 16 describing him as an incompetent and thieving congressman. Puno said these actions showed continued “defiance” of the ethics committee.

The deputy speaker argued that Barzaga’s statements outside Congress should not be covered by parliamentary immunity, since they do not relate to legislative action, speech, or debate. “Other NUP Members who were similarly maligned are already in the process of filing their own complaints,” Puno added.

The complaint is criminal in nature, meaning imprisonment is a possible penalty. Puno may also pursue a separate civil action for damages. Barzaga is facing a separate libel complaint from Razon over the same post, with the businessman seeking P110 million in moral and exemplary damages.

Puno revealed plans to file another ethics complaint against Barzaga, this time seeking his expulsion from Congress rather than merely extending his suspension.