Barzaga faces twin criminal raps — DoJ

Beleaguered Cavite Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga, who is under suspension, is facing two separate sets of criminal charges, the Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed on Friday.

DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said Barzaga personally appeared at the department on 22 January for only one of the two pending cases, stressing that the complaints involve different alleged offenses.

Martinez said the first case is the one Barzaga himself cited in a social media post. It includes alleged violations of Article 153 (tumults and disturbance of public places), Article 155 (alarm and scandal) of the Revised Penal Code, and Batas Pambansa Blg. 880, or the Public Assembly Act of 1985.

Inciting to sedition

The second case, however, carries more serious allegations.

The complaint involves alleged violations of Article 142 (inciting to sedition) and Article 138 (inciting to rebellion or insurrection) of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Presidential Decree 1834, in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Barzaga earlier said he was responding to an inciting to sedition complaint filed by the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The complaint stemmed from his public remarks on the Mindanao secession and statements he made during a rally in Forbes Park in October 2025.

Confusion arose after sedition-related charges were absent from Barzaga’s social media post, raising questions about which complaints were covered by the counter-affidavits he submitted.

Martinez said the DoJ’s clarification was meant to confirm that both cases were active and pending.

Barzaga has insisted that the complaints arose from his public statements and participation in protests, which he said were exercises of his free expression. He also noted that no violence occurred during the rally cited in the cases.

In October last year, Barzaga was delisted from the Army Reserve Force for insinuating a seditious act with an attached photo of himself wearing a military uniform.