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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Nanlibre!': Leviste spends Sunday with his 2 pals

'Nanlibre!': Leviste spends Sunday with his 2 pals

Published Jan 4, 2026 08:56 pm

At A Glance

  • Who says that Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste doesn't have any friends in the House of Representatives?
From left to right: Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, and Cavite 4th district Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga (Facebook)
From left to right: Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, and Cavite 4th district Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga (Facebook)


Who says that Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste doesn't have any friends in the House of Representatives?
Leviste, a billionaire businessman-turned-self-styled anti-infrastructure corruption crusader in Congress, apparently spent his Sunday with a couple of his pals.
One of them, Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando even took to his Facebook to thank Leviste for picking up the tab.
"Pwede naman palang maging masaya ang kwentuhan kahit iba-iba kayo ng pananaw. Iba talaga kapag may mga mayayamang kaibigan. Salamat sa libre, Leandro! ???? (It turns out people can still have a happy discussion even if they have different views. It's really nice to have rich friends. Thanks for the treat, Leandro!)" San Fernando wrote. His upload came with a photo of the mini-get together.
The other person in the photo is Cavite 4th district Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga. Barzaga, more popularly known as "congressmeow", is currently serving a 60-day suspension without pay.
It was last Dec. 1 when the House plenary upheld a Committee on Ethics recommendation to suspend Barzaga for "disorderly behavior" and "conduct unbecoming of a member of the House".
Leviste had earlier said that he was a "fan" of the eccentric Dasmariñas solon, and that fostering free speech was important in the 300-plus strong House.
Leviste, a rookie congressman like his two Sunday companions, had been calling out his own House colleagues on the issue of insertions to the national budget.
In a separate Facebook post, the Batangueño confirmed that San Fernando and Barzaga now have their own copies of "flood control project insertions".
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