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Is Kiko Barzaga to Blame for the September 21 Riots? CIDG Files Criminal Raps

Already dealing with an ethics complaint in Congress, the congressman now also faces criminal complaints over allegedly inciting violence during the September 21 protests

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kiko barzaga sedition case cidg
Congressman Kiko Barzaga at the Raja Sulayman rally before he headed to Forbes Park on October 12. Photo from Kiko Barzaga/Facebook

“Shitposting” just landed Cavite Fourth District Representative Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga in even hotter water. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has lodged criminal complaints against the neophyte lawmaker for inciting sedition over the Forbes Park rally on October 12 and violence during the anti-corruption rallies in Mendiola and Recto in Manila on September 21.

In a message to reporters on Wednesday, November 12, CIDG Director Major General Robert Alexander Morico II confirmed that the agency filed a case against Barzaga “in relation to the violent incidents which occurred in Mendiola and Recto, Manila on September 21, 2025, before the office of the Quezon City Prosecutors’ Office.”

The CIDG also confirmed that it had filed a case against Barzaga for the rally outside Forbes Park in Makati City. However, according to Inquirer, CIDG declined to specify the legislator’s role in the rallies in the complaints.

Morico said the case is already with the National Prosecution Service, and that the CIDG “refrained from issuing statements relative to the said criminal complaint as it may preempt or influence the outcome of the preliminary investigation pending before the city prosecutor.”

kiko barzaga sedition subpoena
The subpoena that Barzaga received. Photo from Congressman Kiko Barzaga/Facebook

On Facebook, Barzaga posted a photo of a subpoena that requires him to respond to the charges, specifically inciting to sedition and inciting to rebellion. “This will not stop us, this will only make the revolution stronger!” he wrote.

The congressman also faces an ethics complaint in the House of Representatives, filed by the National Unity Party, over his “potentially” seditious Facebook posts mocking other politicians calling for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to step down.

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Pie Gonzaga

Pie Gonzaga

Culture Writer

Pie Gonzaga is the Culture Writer of Rolling Stone Philippines, primarily covering film, TV, food, and internet culture.

Gonzaga has worked on a range of stories for print and digital formats, from an interview with Cardinal Ambo David to features on queer party organizers such as CHURCH and Club Euphoria. Her work as the magazine’s former State of Affairs Writer includes news updates on pressing issues like the flood control scandal and the missing sabungeros, and covering rallies. Under Culture, she’s written episode recaps for hit shows, film reviews, and features on restaurants and the people who run them.

Before working with Rolling Stone Philippines, she contributed lifestyle and entertainment stories for a digital news platform.

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