Supposed staff of Suansing allegedly offered budget items as 'incentives' to Leviste
LAWMAKERS huddle during high-stakes talks on the 2026 national budget as Representatives (clockwise, from left) Javier Benitez, Albert Garcia, Mikaela Suansing, Jose Alvarez and Brian Yamsuan confer at the Bicameral Conference Committee, where final decisions on spending priorities and contested budget items are being ironed out.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ARAM LASCANO FOR DAILY TRIBUNE
Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste on Friday claimed that a supposed staff of Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing allegedly approached him, enumerating various agencies with allocations amounting to P151 million for his supposed “incentives.”
According to Leviste, an individual, “Attorney Jolina” claimed to be a House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Suansing's staff. According to the congressman, the staff called to meet secretly and showed a document to him and said, “This is your incentive,” a week before the budget vote.
“Why is this being given to members of Congress right before the October approval of the 2026 budget? Is it my incentive to vote for the budget, because the assistance for my constituents is conditional on my approving the budget in toto? And out of transparency, I want to know how this is being allocated, and what is the incentive of every member of Congress,” Leviste said.
Leviste shared a picture of a piece of paper that was supposedly shown by the Atty. Jolina. On the said paper, it shows different government agencies with different figures alongside it: DOH MAIP (P21 Million), DOLE TUPAD (P25 Million), DSWD AICS (P30 Million), DA FMR (P30 Million), DA, DepED, NIA and others (P25 Million), and DPWH (P25 Million).
In addition, Leviste also shared a picture of another piece of paper purportedly shown to another Congressman, enumerating a budget amounting to P250 Million with similar agencies listed.
According to Leviste, his point was not necessarily to question the allocations, but to ask that all the allocations at least be published and have a clear explanation why the “incentive’ was being given.
“If public funds are being used as so-called ‘incentives' for Congressmen before voting on the 2026 budget, the public should at least know the ‘allocables’ or ‘incentives’ each Congressman gets, whether from DPWH, DOH, DSWD, DOLE, DA, NIA, DepEd, or any other government agency,” Leviste said.
“The public deserves to know this before Congress ratifies the 2026 budget next week,” he added.