GARIN
ILOILO CITY – Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin said it is not enough to extend the suspension of Cavite fourth district Rep. Kiko Barzaga when he can actually be expelled from the House.
“It should not even be an extension of suspension. His acts are tantamount to expulsion,” Garin said on Wednesday.
Garin said she voted with a heavy heart to extend the suspension of Barzaga even if she tried with extreme patience to help the son of the late Cavite Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr.
“I felt before there was hope in making him understand that this disorderly behavior and conduct have no place in governance,” said Garin explaining her vote.
“This repeated wanton disrespect to the institution and his habitual lies of fake news and fantasy to keep on producing distorted facts has led to confusion and chaos,” said Garin.
Last month, Barzaga released a video linking the death of Dueñas, Iloilo Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan to the flood control scandal. Lamasan died from an accidental firing.
“I empathize with what her family had to suffer. But the pain was aggravated when Kiko Barzaga made a speech and made a circus out of the death of former Vice Mayor Lamasan,” Garin said.
In the video, Barzaga said Garin and her daughter, Iloilo Provincial Board Member Rica Jane Garin, are part of the key personalities in the flood control scandal in Iloilo.
“I was a victim of this fantasy and habitual lies and this disregard of fact and truth,” noted Rep. Garin.
Last September, she also complained against Barzaga for poking his mobile phone at her face during a national budget hearing.