House of Representatives of the Philippines
Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez on Wednesday rejected claims that lawmakers received “Christmas bonuses,” saying the checks cited by a colleague were regular disbursements for House operations.
Alvarez said the checks posted by Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Leviste did not indicate misuse of public funds or a lack of transparency.
“There is nothing irregular about the checks issued to Rep. Leviste. They aren’t Christmas bonuses as he alleges,” Alvarez said.
“These are lawful, audited, and well-documented disbursements that every member of the House receives to cover the salaries of legislators and to ensure their district offices can function properly and deliver services on the ground,” he added.
The Palawan lawmaker explained that members of Congress are provided compensation and maintenance and other operating expenses to support district offices, including staff pay and basic constituent services.
He said framing routine operational funds as bonuses was “misleading and inaccurate.”
Alvarez also disputed claims that the House increased its budget for 2026.
“In 2025, the House had a budget of P33.7 billion. For 2026, this was reduced to P27.7 billion. That alone should already put to rest claims that the House increased its own budget,” he said.
He added that the alleged P10-billion increase cited by critics merely reflects the difference between the National Expenditure Program and the final General Appropriations Act.