Self-proclaimed "congressmeow" Cavite 4th district Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga filed an ethics complaint against Deputy Speaker Antipolo City 1st district Rep. Ronaldo "Ronnie" Puno for insinuating that he was mentally ill.

In a the complaint received by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 23, Barzaga called out Puno for allegedly committing "acts that reveal a pattern of conduct in violation of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Republic Act No.6713, and applicable jurisprudence".

The eccentric congeessman said respondent Puno "made unfounded insinuations of mental illness against a political critic (the complainant) without presenting any medical record, professional evaluation, or clear and convincing evidence".

"Such reckless accusation violates Article II, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which guarantees due process," the complaint read.

In a press conference last Sept. 15, Puno repeatedly described Barzaga as being "not well", even as he criticized the latter’s habit of badmouthing high-ranking government officials on his Facebook.

Puno also slammed the Dasmariñas City lawmaker for making lewd posts that appear to objectify women, and said it was unbecoming of a congressman. Ironically, it was during the same presser that Puno and the rest of the National Unity Party (NUP) bared they planned on filing their own ethics rap against Barzaga.

Barzaga cried foul over this supposed suppression of political dissent in the House of Representatives. "Respondent sought to employ the Committee on Ethics and Privileges as a tool to silence political dissent. Instead of preserving the integrity of the House, he weaponized the committee's processes to intimidale critics (complainant)."

"Thereby any action by a legislative body, including the ethics commitee, that suppresses political dissent or punishes members for their speech would be subject to challenge for violating the constitutional guarantee of free speech and expression," the complaint read.

He also defended himself from Puno's accusations regarding these posts, and claimed that the latter was "harassing" him.

"Respondent unnecessarily dragged the private life of the complainant into his accusations, citing cosplay photographs and social media posts made even prior to July. 2025. The complainant was not yet a congressman at the time the photographs in question were taken. This constitutes harassment and even violates the complainant's constitutional right to privacy," read the complaint.

Citing all of these, Barzaga asked the ethics panel to "investigate the actions of Congressman Ronaldo "Ronnie" Puno, and impose the appropriate sanctions as may be warranted to preserve the honor of the House of Representatives and uphold the Constitution".

In response, Puno simply said he would reply to the complaint based on proper procedure.

"I will reply to any complaint when and if it is submitted to the Ethics Committee and according to the procedure they will prescribe," the deputy speaker and NUP chairman said.