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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Leviste v Ridon: Who's the liar?

Leviste v Ridon: Who's the liar?

Published Dec 26, 2025 10:14 pm

At A Glance

  • So, who is really lying between the two--Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, or his new nemesis in Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon?
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (left), Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Rep. Leviste's Facebook)
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (left), Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon (Rep. Leviste's Facebook)


So, who is really lying between the two--Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, or his new nemesis in Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon?
Leviste insists it's the latter. But Ridon says a transcript always speaks the truth.
This all started earlier this week when Leviste supposedly accused Ridon of making insertions worth P150 million in the current 2025 national budget worth P6.326 trillion.
Ridon says that can't happen, since the budget was approved in late 2024, and he returned to the House of Representatives only on June 30, 2025. He went as far as to call out the Batangas solon for spreading "lies" and "fake news".
In a Zoom interview Friday, Dec. 26, Leviste countered: "I would like to dispute the claims of Cong Ridon na ako ay sinungaling (that I am a liar), dahil si Cong Ridon ang sinungaling (because Cong Ridon is the liar)."
In response, Ridon pointed to the incorrigible details of Leviste's earlier interviews wherein he mentioned the lawyer-solon's name in relation to the P150-million insertion allegation.
"Malinaw ang transcript ng mga video na ipinakita ni Cong. Leviste—doon natin makikita kung ano ang totoo sa mga sinabi sa mga programang iyon. Hindi na natin kailangan pang ulit-ulitin. Kapaskuhan pa rin ngayon: panahon ng kapayapaan ng puso," the Bicol Saro lawmaker saix in a Viber message.
(The transcript of the videos shown by Congressman Leviste is clear—there we can see what is true in what was said in those programs. We no longer need to keep repeating it. It is still Christmas: a time of peace in the heart.)
In the same interview, Leviste raised that the alleged insertions--even if its by Bicol Saro Party-list itself--could still benefit Ridon, since the latter could use it as a sort of proof of projects. This will come in handy during election time.
But Ridon brushed this off as "baseless intrigue" that don't merit attention. "The burden of proof of this insinutation is on him, not on anyone else," he said.
In the current 20th Congress, Leviste is a vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, while Ridon chairs the Committee on Public Accounts. 
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