Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste Claims 318 Congressmen Allegedly Received P2-Million Christmas Bonus
Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste said he will keep quiet for now as advised by his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, over his “P2-million Christmas bonus for congressmen” claim.
Several congressmen and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were linked to the flood control scam. Some senators and former lawmakers in the Senate were also accused of alleged involvement in the issue. It sparked the “Trillion Peso March”.
Grand rallies were held last September and November to call for an end to corruption in the Philippines. Thousands of Filipinos including celebrities in the Philippine showbiz industry joined the anti-corruption rally. Amid the holiday season, the Malacañang Palace previously stressed that the flood control investigation does not end on December 25, 2025. The Palace also said that more individuals linked to the flood control scam will be thrown behind the bars in the new year.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had a change of leadership amid the flood control mess in the Philippines. The supposed multi-billion flood control corruption is tied with the budget insertion issue that dragged several names including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Bongbong Marcos. Former House Budget Appropriations chairman Zaldy Co accused them of allegedly inserting P100 billion in the 2025 budget.
Recently, amid the many issues surrounding congressmen, Batangas Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste claimed that 318 congressmen allegedly received a P2-million Christmas bonus this holidays. Based on a report on PhilStar, the son of Senator Loren Legarda further claimed that the budget allegedly came from the P18.58-billion Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE fund.
However, according to Leviste, he will be taking a break from speaking over his claim that 318 congressmen allegedly received a P2-million Christmas bonus each from the MOOE. According to him, he will remain quiet until the session in the House of Representatives resumes on January 26.
Based on the report, the decision of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste to stay quiet for now came after the advice of his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda. She allegedly stressed that the MOOE is a very sensitive topic.
“I just want to say this, because my mother told me ‘Son, of all that you say, don’t discuss the MOOE because that is the most sensitive issue in the entire Congress,’” Leviste told dzMM.
“Today, the first thing that I want to say is my thanks to Congressman Ridon and House deputy speaker Ronnie Puno for admitting that there was P2 million released to congressmen last week. Some have denied it. Some said they are not sure how much,” the Batangas Representative added.
Amid the flood control issue, the bicameral conference committee approved a budget that is 40% lower than the original fund proposed for the DPWH in the National Expenditure Program (NEP). Reportedly, the proposed DPWH budget for 2026 includes P2.4 billion for flood control-related projects.