On June 2, 2026, Cavite 4th District Representative Francisco “Kiko” Austria Barzaga, widely known online as “Congressmeow”, was officially expelled from the House of Representatives after a plenary vote of 265 in favor, 14 against, and 8 abstentions.
Barzaga became the first lawmaker expelled from the House in nearly three years, ending a congressional career that lasted just 338 days. The decision followed months of escalating conflicts with House leadership, including two 60-day suspensions without pay, multiple ethics complaints, and repeated clashes over parliamentary rules.
By the time the ethics committee recommended expulsion, lawmakers argued that suspension was no longer enough to address what they described as a sustained pattern of disorderly conduct.
The following incidents and disorderly behavior formed the basis of the House’s decision:
1. Reckless and offensive social media posts
The foundation of the first ethics case against Barzaga was his conduct online. According to the House ethics committee, “respondent’s reckless, offensive, and irresponsible use of his social media platform tarnishes the name, integrity, and reputation of the House of Representatives.”
He was found to have violated Section 141A, Rule 20 of the House Rules and Republic Act No. 6713 (the code of conduct for public officials) through incendiary and indecent posts.
2. Objectification of women
His conduct also included ragebait posts and objectification of women on social media, which the ethics panel described as conduct unbecoming of a sitting House member and damaging to the institution’s dignity.
3. Disruptive physical conduct inside the plenary
Beyond social media, Barzaga’s behavior inside the House chamber violated the spirit of Section 97 of the House Rules governing conduct and decorum during sessions by doing “disruptive physical demeanor,” like repeatedly interrupting actual plenary sessions by walking around aimlessly, engaging in loud outbursts, and distracting members during crucial legislative tasks, all of which directly obstructed sessions and, in the committee’s words, “desecrated parliamentary solemnity.”
4. Unauthorized Facebook Live broadcasts from the plenary floor
Barzaga conducted authorized Facebook live broadcasts from the plenary floor, wherein he recorded colleagues without consent, mocked the proceedings, and made serious unparliamentary actuations. These broadcasts were treated as a distinct and serious violation of House rules on conduct inside the chamber.
5. Mocking House leadership with a “crocodile video”
In one of his most widely noted acts, Barzaga posted a video on his official Facebook page superimposing animated crocodiles over the former House Speaker and Majority Leader, which is considered as a public act of ridicule against the chamber’s top leadership that the ethics committee specifically flagged as an established infraction.
6. Ethics complaint over false Senate shooting claims
On the same day as his expulsion, the NBI filed an ethics complaint against Barzaga over social media posts made during the May 13 Senate shooting incident. According to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, Barzaga falsely claimed that NBI agents entered the Senate to carry out an assassination attempt against senators. The bureau said it traced and validated nine posts linked to Barzaga’s account and is also studying possible criminal charges for spreading false information.
Taken together, these incidents convinced the ethics committee that Barzaga’s actions reflected a continuing pattern of misconduct, leading lawmakers to impose the House’s most severe disciplinary penalty, which is expulsion.
