Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. has urged members of the Senate to explain the details surrounding an alleged ₱24-billion “leadership fund” embedded within the 2025 national budget.
Speaking at a media forum on Saturday, August 15, Abante stressed that the true nature and intent of the allocation must be made clear to the public.
“Kailangan tingnan nating maigi kung anong ibig sabihin ng leadership fund,” Abante stated.
The lawmaker emphasized that citizens ought to raise specific inquiries regarding the fund to verify its legality and ensure proper execution.
“The proper questions should be like, what particular appropriation are we talking about? Where does it appear in the budget, when was this introduced, anong public purpose nito, along ahensiya ang nag-implement niyan,” he said.
Abante further highlighted the necessity of investigating whether the allocation breaches existing fiscal and budgetary laws.
“Does a senator exercise prohibited control over the fund after the enactment of the budget?” he asked, citing it as a crucial concern.
The representative revealed that he only learned about the allocation following court testimony delivered by former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan during a Sandiganbayan hearing on Wednesday concerning graft and plunder charges against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr..
During his testimony, Bonoan disclosed that the ₱24-billion leadership fund was integrated into the 2025 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.
He noted that, beyond the ₱500-million baseline allocated for each senator’s priority undertakings, leaders of key committees could receive up to ₱1 billion, with all senators taking advantage of the setup.