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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Break it down: Leviste wants to know how House will spend ₱27.7-B internal budget

Break it down: Leviste wants to know how House will spend ₱27.7-B internal budget

Published Dec 27, 2025 08:02 pm

At A Glance

  • Saying that transparency is paramount, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste sought on Saturday, Dec. 27 a breakdown of the House of Representatives' proposed ₱27.7-billion internal budget under the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Saying that transparency is paramount, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste sought on Saturday, Dec. 27 a breakdown of the House of Representatives' proposed ₱27.7-billion internal budget under the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
In a statement, Leviste, says he hopes Congress could provide details on how this budget--especially the ₱10.5-billion increase--will be used before the GAB is ratified on Monday, Dec. 29.
" I also asked the committee in charge for a detailed breakdown, and they did not respond. The public deserves to know how the whole ₱27.7 billion, and particularly the ₱10.5 billion increase, will be spent," said the House majority bloc member.
The internal budget for the House under the current 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is ₱17.2 billion.
If anything, Leviste's questioning of the House budget betrays that he's out of the loop; he is listed as among the handful of vice chairmen of the Committee on Appropriations.
Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing chairs the appropriations panel.
“I’m not only questioning the outcome, but the process: Why was no explanation given for the need for this increase, and why is no one speaking up on this? Leviste said.
Leviste said he will call on his solon-colleagues to disclose to the public what benefits they receive from the House MOOE budget and other “incentives” from the House Committee on Appropriations before Congress (House and Senate) ratifies the 2026 GAB.
MOOE stands for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses. According to the Batangueño, the House's MOOE increased from ₱10.75 billion to ₱18.58 billion under the proposed budget next year.
In a 318-member body, Leviste pointed out this translates to ₱58.42 million per congressman per year, although he acknowledges that congressmen have expenses for their offices and official functions, and part of the MOOE budget also goes to the operating expenses of Congress itself.
Leviste said his fellow House members receive a monthly MOOE budget, and bonuses such as in October and December, coinciding with the approval of the budget.
The 32-year-old lawmaker says he is still researching the amount of MOOE received by members of Congress because allocations are unevenly distributed and treated confidentially even within Congress, and he himself accepts neither his salary nor his MOOE due to his reservations on the budget.
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