Barzaga expects acquittal in VP Sara impeachment trial

While both the prosecution and defense panels for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial gave themselves a perfect "10/10" score—according to lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro and defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa, former Cavite 4th District Representative Kiko Barzaga emphasized that the trial is not the country's most pressing issue.

Speaking about his stance on the first week of the impeachment proceedings, Barzaga told DAILY TRIBUNE on 9 July that officials should instead be focusing on the country's economic hurdles. His remarks were made during his appearance as a guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Manila’s (RCM) first weekly membership meeting.

"There are clearly more economic problems that officials should be preparing for," Barzaga said. "Our main issue right now is the problem of escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, which will likely cause an increase in fuel prices. Dapat doon tayo nakatutok (We should be focused there)."

"As for the impeachment, lagi naman nag-aaway-aaway (they are always fighting). We have more important things to prioritize. We're expecting an acquittal anyway," he added.

During the RCM open forum, Barzaga explained that obtaining the necessary numbers in the Senate to convict would be an uphill battle.

"We cannot really expect the 16 votes in favor of the impeachment," Barzaga noted. "And at the same time, they don't have enough evidence to file a criminal case against Vice President Sara Duterte."

Anti-corruption campaign

Known as a vocal critic of the administration, Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Franco Mabanta praised Barzaga's anti-corruption stance during the open forum.

"In terms of disrupting corruption in the Philippines, I think you are the greatest congressman of my generation," Mabanta said, before asking Barzaga why he chose to go after former Speaker Martin Romualdez when Romualdez was "at the peak of his power."

"There is no point in fighting someone who is already past their prime," Barzaga responded. "So there’s no glory in defeating an opponent who is no longer at the peak of their power... That would be the perfect time to make him accountable for his failures as the former House Speaker."

District special election

After being expelled from Congress on 2 June due to violations of the code of conduct, Barzaga clarified that he does not know exactly who will run in his district's special election, which is scheduled for August.

"We have ideas of who it is, but we cannot say exactly until the day of filing happens... we're prepared for any possibility, but right now, we're basically skeptical of anyone who is announcing their candidacy or announcing that we are not filing for candidacy," he said.

When asked if he would support a candidate who aligns with the Vice President, Barzaga agreed. "Hopefully that would be the best choice," he said, though he stressed that the political landscape might change.

"Considering the issues involving the national government, there might be changes, especially with the national government, that may change the way our local election looks."