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BILANG kasapi ng National Unity Party (NUP), naghain si Manila 2nd District Representative Rolando M. Valeriano, ng kasong cyberliber laban kay Representative Francisco “Kiko” A. Barzaga kaugnay ng viral social media post nito kung saan inakusahan niya ang NUP lawmakers ng pagtanggap ng suhol kapalit ng suportang politikal.
Sa kanyang post, sinabi ni Barzaga na ang mga NUP congressmen ay tumanggap ng suhol mula sa negosyanteng si Enrique Razon sa iba’t-ibang pagtitipon sa Solaire bago ang 2025 elections at ang nasabing suhol umano ay kapalit ng pagsuporta sa re-election ni Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Partikular na binanggit sa reklamo ni Valeriano ang pahayag ni Barzaga na, “NUP Congressmen received bribes from Enrique Razon in various gatherings in Solaire prior to the 2025 elections in exchange for supporting Speaker Martin Romualdez.”
“The statement is a direct public accusation of bribery against identifiable members of the NUP bloc, and constitutes an imputation of a serious crime made without evidence and published through a widely accessible social media platform, further arguing that the post was widely circulated online in a manner that maximized reputational harm,” ani Valeriano.
Ayon pa kay Valeriano, ang post ni Barzaga ay malinaw na Cyber Libel o paglabag sa Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), in relation to Articles 353 and 355 of the Revised Penal Code on libel. Aniya, ang alegasyon ay naipakalat sa publiko online at gayundin sa online news sites at social media pages, kung saan lumawak ang naabot na publiko, “widening its reach and exposing NUP lawmakers to reputational harm and public suspicion.”
“The post was made maliciously and with reckless disregard for the truth,” ani Valeriano at aniya, ni walang pruweba upang suportahan ang nasabing akusasyon.
“Sweeping allegations of criminal conduct, broadcast online as fact, are especially damaging at a time when government officials are rebuilding public trust in its institutions. Baseless accusations of bribery are not harmless political commentary, they are accusations of criminal conduct, broadcast to the public as if they were established fact. If you claim that legislators were bribed, then you have the duty to prove it. Otherwise, it is a malicious attack designed to destroy our reputations,” dagda pa ni Valeriano.
Binigyang-diin pa niya na ang nasabing akusasyon ay hindi lamang naka-direkta sa isang tao subalit ginawa sa buong grupo na tiyak ang pagkakakilanlan.
“The accusation this time was not directed just at a single individual but was made against a defined and identifiable group: Members of the NUP in the House of Representatives. He said this made the attack not only personal, but institutional, an affront to the entire NUP, not just to one member,” ani Valeriano.
Dagdag pa niya: “It was intended to stain a whole bloc of legislators through one sweeping allegation, without evidence, without verification, and without accountability. These accusations are especially harmful at a time when we are still rebuilding public trust. When lies are repeated as fact, they do not just malign individuals, they weaken institutions.”
Ani Valeriano, ang paghaharap niya ng kaso ay nagpapakita lamang ng kahalagahan ng pagbibigay-proteksyon sa tiwala ng tao sa mga institusyon.
Napag-alamang nakatakda ring magsampa na reklamo ang iba pang NUP members na naapektuhan ng nasabing post ni Barzaga.
“They are pursuing their own legal remedies, underscoring that the NUP remains united in defending its members and upholding institutional integrity. The NUP is currently the second largest political party in the House of Representatives,” ayon pa kay Valeriano. (BONG SON)
