The Christmas breeze may be getting colder, but the tit-for-tat between Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste is just starting to heat up.

Ridon, in an interview Tuesday, Dec. 23 calles out his House of Representatives colleague Leviste for flat-out lying and spreading fake news regarding the P150-million insertion allegation that the latter earlier made against him.

This, after Leviste supposedly clarfied that the allegation wasn't targeted at Ridon specifically, but at Bicol Saro Party-list.

"Well, kasi, very important yung clarification po nitong fake news and yung lying po ni Congressman Leandro Leviste. Kasi ang sinasabi na niya ngayon, paiba-iba yung statement niya eh," Ridon said,

(Well, because it is very important to clarify this fake news and the lying of Congressman Leandro Leviste. Because what he is saying now, his statements keep changing.)

"Sabi nya, he was basically referring po daw to Bicol Saro specifically, and not to me, relating to the P150-million insertions (He said he was basically referring to Bicol Saro specifically, and not to me, in relation to the P150-million insertions.)

But Ridon pointed to at least two recorded media interviews on Monday, Dec. 22 wherein the neophyte solon from Batangas claimed that he had made such insertions to the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025.

"Basically, the original imputation was I did the insertions for the 2025 budget. At it is very clear, the record is clear, I was not part of the 19th Congress, I just returned to Congress June 30, 2025," the lawyer-solon said.

Ridon and Leviste were elected to their respected House seats following the May 2025 elections. The 2025 budget was crafted and approved months earlier during the previous 19th Congress.

"So ibig sabihin (So that means), there was no possibility for me to actually make an insertion for the 2025 budget. So doon pa lang ho (So based on that), he should be made accountable for lying and for doing fake news relating to my supposed insertion for the 2025 budget," Ridon said.

Leviste's insertion figures are supposedly sourced from the list he received from former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral before her mysterious death last Dec. 18.

But Leviste says he's waiting for DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon's go signal for him to release the full list of 2025 budget insertions and their proponents.

Ridon dared the billionaire businessman-turned legislator to put his money where his mouth is.

"Bisperas na ng Pasko bukas: ilabas niya muna yung sinasabi niyang Cabral insertions list na hawak niya mula pa noong Sept. 4, tanggapin niya muna na nagsinungaling at nag-fake news siya na may insertions ako para sa 2025 budget bago siya gumawa ng mga bagong kuwento," he said.

(It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow: let him first release the so-called Cabral insertions list that he has been holding since Sept. 4, and let him first admit that he lied and spread fake news that I had insertions for the 2025 budget before he makes up new stories.)

"Merry Christmas, Cong Lean!" said Ridon, as a parting shot to his 20th Congress colleague.