Where will Congress' padded budget go?

"To our pockets," said Batangas Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste. "It's so easy for us to pocket.

- JARIUS BONDOC

Hindi kailangan ipaliwanag, hindi kailangan ng resibo. No liquidation, only certification from each congressman of expenses for, say, communication, transportation, representation," Leviste told Sapol-DWIZ Saturday.

The House of Reps padded its 2026 budget to P27 billion. It originally asked Malacañang for P17 billion in the National Expenditure Program. On third and final reading on Oct. 13, 2025 the plenary added P10 billion.

Bulk of the padding went to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses. From P10.7 billion in the NEP, the House MOOE rose to P18.5 billion.

The P7.8-billion MOOE spike went to big-ticket items like travel, representation, communication, professional services (consultants), confidential, intelligence and extraordinary expenses.

If divided among 318 congressmen, each can pocket P58.17 million from the unliquidated P18.5-billion MOOE.

"That's in addition to our legal salaries," Leviste confided.

To find out for sure, Leviste inquired with the House committee on accounts how much his "share" is. The staff refused to answer, knowing that he forfeits his monthly salary and MOOE anyway.