Sen. Loren Legarda has called for a Senate inquiry into the exclusion of 84 barangays in Taal and Nasugbu, Batangas from a government assistance program.
Sen. Loren Legarda has called for a Senate inquiry into the exclusion of 84 barangays in Taal and Nasugbu, Batangas from a government assistance program.
She said the exclusion smacked of discrimination in the rollout of the “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” program led by the provincial government and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto. Legarda cited reports suggesting the move was influenced by local political factors.
She pointed to the 2025 General Appropriations Act, which bars politicians from involvement in aid distribution. Public funds must not serve as tools for political reward or factionalism, she added.
Recto responded by claiming that Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, Legarda’s son, had tried to bribe him and reduced his mother to tears with his actions.