Special election held to replace expelled lawmaker Kiko Barzaga

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

August 29, 2026 | 11:22am

MANILA, Philippines — Voters in Dasmariñas City, Cavite headed to polling precincts on Saturday, August 29, to elect a new representative for the province's 4th District.

The special election is being held to replace former representative Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga, who was expelled from the House of Representatives in June over "disruptive" and "disorderly" behavior.

Five candidates are vying for the congressional post:

• Dasmariñas City Mayor Jennifer Austria Barzaga, mother of Kiko Barzaga
• Former vice mayor Raul Rex Del Rosario
• Former councilor Jacinto Bautista Frani Jr.
• Marvin Opamin Dupal-ag
• Leysander Aguilar

Regular voting hours began at 7 a.m. and will end at 3 p.m. Early voting for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant women, as well as persons deprived of liberty, started at 5 a.m.

August 29 was declared a special non-working day in Dasmariñas City to allow registered voters to participate in the special election.

Barzaga's expulsion

The House voted 265-14, with eight abstentions, on June 2 to expel Barzaga after adopting a committee report finding him guilty of "disruptive" and "disorderly" conduct that violated parliamentary rules.

House ethics committee chair Rep. JC Abalos said Barzaga had displayed a pattern of "highly disruptive, discourteous, and disorderly behavior" that obstructed plenary proceedings and undermined legislative decorum.

Among the actions cited were repeated interruptions of plenary sessions, mockery of House leadership and unauthorized live broadcasts during budget deliberations.

Barzaga had also been suspended twice for 60 days over social media posts that prompted complaints and accusations against fellow lawmakers and government officials.

The former lawmaker was known online for his animal rights advocacy and his cat persona, with some of his social media posts ending in "meow."

His expulsion made him the first lawmaker in nearly three years to be removed from the House of Representatives.

Dasmariñas comprises the entire 4th District of Cavite, with 447,387 registered voters across 75 barangays.