Gabriela lawmaker to sue pro-Duterte vlogger

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas (Photo from her Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — A pro-Duterte vlogger was ready to face charges for possible violation of Republic Act No. 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law after he posted online his lewd phone conversation with Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas.

The caller, Niño Barzaga, called Brosas on June 2 and pretended to be retired Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

Brosas said Barzaga initially asked about Gabriela’s Independence Day activities, but after she responded, the caller suddenly shouted and hurled invectives and obscene remarks against her.

After the phone call, Brosas said she received a lot of hate calls and text messages.

On Saturday night, Barzaga told the Inquirer in a phone interview that he was not regretting what he did to Brosas.

“If she is saying that I insulted her, yes, I insulted her and she deserved it,” he said.

According to him, all those he said against Brosas were his personal opinion as a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte and insisted that he was not paid to do it. He also said he did not regret pretending to be Bacani so Brosas would answer his phone call.

Brosas told reporters at a press briefing on Friday that she would file charges against Barzaga after the vlogger posted their phone conversation online.

“Go ahead, that’s her right,” Barzaga said, even as he mocked the decision of Brosas to file charges against him, citing that critics of Duterte always say that democracy and rule of law in the country are already dead.

He said he was annoyed with Brosas for slamming the possible tandem of President Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, in the 2022 national elections.

Brosas earlier likened to the “deadly” riding-in-tandem the possible bid of Duterte as vice president with his daughter as president in next year’s elections.

In a Viber message to the Inquirer on Sunday, Brosas said her lawyers were already studying the possible charges against Barzaga.