Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco disclosed that House members receive millions in allowances during congressional breaks, a practice dating back to 2010. These ‘break bonuses’ supplement monthly maintenance funds and have prompted calls for transparency amid scrutiny from fellow lawmakers.
In an interview on One News' ‘Storycon,’ Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco explained that these ‘break allowances’ are provided to lawmakers during Congress breaks for Undas, Christmas, and Holy Week. ‘Ever since I became a congressman in 2010, there is already this break bonus,’ he said in Filipino. ‘The explanation for that is because you will spend most of your time in your district, you will have funds for expenses.’
These come on top of the monthly allocation for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE). To receive them, lawmakers simply sign vouchers for the checks, without specific requirements for liquidation. Tiangco noted he has not yet received his Christmas break allowance but confirmed getting P1.5 million for the Undas break.
Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste first raised questions about the release of a P2-million ‘Christmas bonus’ to lawmakers. Some congressmen insist the funds are not personal bonuses but allocations for district expenses. Tiangco called on House leadership to be transparent about these payments. ‘My call to the House is, let’s be transparent about it… I don’t know why we can’t be transparent about this,’ he said.
On the same program, former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza urged the release of an itemized list of expenses for each senator and representative. ‘This is what we should be demanding from COA. COA should be releasing what we call a schedule of allowances and payments to legislators,’ she said in Filipino. She added that it has been years since COA last published such a list, despite their mandate to do so regularly.
Meanwhile, Leviste announced he would take a break until the House resumes its regular session on January 26. Following advice from his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, he plans to stay quiet on the issue for now. Still, he thanked Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and House Deputy Speaker Ronnie Puno for admitting that P2 million was released to congressmen last week.
