Normally, the Tech Thoughts column I write deals with subjects related to technology and society. Today’s column goes off on a tangent, but I felt the need to say something given that the matter of free speech impacts society greatly, especially at a time when the amplification of such speech can become problematic.

Kiko Barzaga’s expulsion from the House of Representatives does not immediately ring the right bells for my column, but after reading Walden Bello’s opinion on Barzaga getting kicked out, I felt like I had to get my thoughts in order. Not exactly to argue, mind you, but mostly to disagree with his sentiments about the event being an attack on free speech.

The attack on free speech?

In Walden Bello’s opinion piece, “Why Edcel Lagman would be rolling in his grave,” he said that freedom of speech was under assault, and “what the majority has done is the worst attack on this basic freedom carried out in the House in living memory.”

Bello is of the opinion that the expulsion of Barzaga was “the censorship of one of the loudest critics of this administration, whose ability to widely reach the people on social media is increasingly more threatening to the powers that be.” He added that this may cause a chilling effect to the democratic institution of the country.

Bello added that Barzaga’s behavior does not “rise to the level of a disturbing pattern of behavior that would justify disenfranchising those who voted him to office or assaulting the right to free speech, two of the most basic foundational principles of a democracy.”

Bello may see some of himself in Barzaga, because he also recounted that in 2010, he said things that got him into trouble. Among other statements, Bello said he “deployed the same angry language in a privilege speech, calling the reign of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was then a member of the House, as one characterized by “orgiastic compensation, brazen manipulation of government agencies and funds for political purposes, and massive waste of public money.”

My respect towards Walden Bello begs me to ask him to reconsider his stance on Barzaga’s expulsion, because I feel Barzaga is a threat to the democratic institution by virtue of how the technology he uses amplifies his shitposting weirdness.

The algorithmic amplification of shitposting

For the record, I must say that Barzaga going “meow meow” or acting erratically is the least of my concerns.

My concerns are with the jokes and lies he has spread, amplfiied through social media channels, that may spur people to do or imitate the very, very stupid things he does.

In this Rappler article, for example, Barzaga jokes about setting the Batasang Pambansa on fire.

He has also gone on the record as saying that “Evidence is only necessary if we’re fighting within a court of law,” when asked how he would respond to criticism that his posts could be misleading or factually inaccurate.

Barzaga added, “Why would I fight in a way that is much more beneficial and much more convenient for the Marcos administration, when I can…engage the public in a way that targets the weakness of the Marcos administration?”

Barzaga, for example, accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of ordering the fire that hit the Department of Public Works and Highways office in Quezon City in October 2025. When asked for proof of his claim, all he said was, “One of my cats told me. Meow.”

Barzaga sees himself as a foil to a so-called corrupt administration, and he says his conduct is “ultimately harmless.” But that is just deflecting from an altogether separate point.

Whether or not the administration is corrupt, his shitposting and lies, amplified by algorithms and social media, are detrimental to a functioning democracy at best and may be dangerous narrative warfare of the Trumpian sort at worst.

Free speech is not free from consequences

Free speech might be an altogether important thing in a democracy, but free speech cannot be free from the consequences of such speech.

If Barzaga’s lies were to cause violence to occur, will he hold himself responsible for any he creates?

While free speech is prized by many, politicians must be held to higher standards, not just in the big things, but also little things — like the ability to self-reflect and self-censure.

Politicians may also have and prize free speech, but they are also constrained by the necessities of the job and duties they have sworn to undertake.

Each enraging, shitposted lie Barzaga creates stains the fabric of democracy and makes it more difficult to find kernels of truth and decency online. That he does not self-edit is one thing, but his inability to realize his actions are harmful to democracy is problematic and should be taken into consideration as well.

Barzaga’s expulsion from the House of Representatives is warranted because I feel Barzaga realizes that, unlike in Bello’s 2010 case, 2026 is the age of algorithmically amplified popularity caused by ragebaiting, and he may very well yearn for the spotlight more than the demands of the job he sought in the House. – Rappler.com