Big Cash Prizes at Congress Christmas Party? Lawmakers React

Big prizes during the Christmas party of the Lower House of Congress raised eyebrows of some congressmen.

Some members of the Congress felt big prizes during the Christmas party on December 14 night were rather lavish compared to their past gatherings.

On Wednesday night, huge cash prizes, appliances and a trip to Europe were among the prizes that lucky congressmen went home with during the party.

A total prizes reached P1.5 million pesos which were raffled.

Philippine Congress

The said prizes were donations, mostly from the congressmen themselves, including a P1 million pot from Davao del Norte Representative Antonio “Tony Boy” Floirendo Jr., and P500,000 from House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Based on earlier report, Floirendo was mentioned as the top donor in President Rodrigo Duterte’s election campaign, when he contributed an estimated P75 million in cash, plus another P25 million to PDP-Laban, the President’s political party.

“It was too much, really,” one lawmaker who was in the gathering but declined to get named, said.

“It was something that the previous House leadership has always been careful about.”

Another solon said the amounts of the raffle prizes bordered on the scandalous. According to him, what was more scandalous was how Floirendo comported himself before his colleagues.

The lawmaker elaborated that Floirendo had too much to drink when he approached the stage and delivered a message. At one part of his message, Floirendo appeared contemplating over the dominance of PDP-Laban in the political scene. Floirendo  reportedly told those in the opposition bloc to join forces with them instead of continuing to be critical of the administration.

Days after the elections on May 9, almost all lawmakers and other elected officials transferred to PDP-Laban to show support to Duterte.

The lawmaker added that Floirendo also singled out Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, opposition lawmaker, as among those taking a path distinct from that of majority congressmen.

During the raffle, Lagman won P250,000, which he clarified came from the donation of the Speaker, P500, 000.

He did not say who won the other half of Alvarez’s donation.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Lagman said he “did not want to make any statement last night with respect to unity because I did not want to rock the fellowship.”

“I went there not for the purpose of getting any prize, but for the purpose of joining my colleagues in the spirit of Christmas,” he said.

In the said news conference, Lagman made the disclosure as he denied reports that he won P1 million during the party.

Floirendo’s donation was broken down into a P500,000 grand prize, and ten P50,000 prizes.

Lagman said Floirendo, before handing out the cash prizes, delivered a speech appealing to the opposition to support the administration.

“With respect to [Floirendo’s] repeated statement that there has to be unity… I did not want to make any statement last night with respect to that because I did not want to destroy the fellowship,” said Lagman.

Lagman added it was “repeatedly” pointed out that he “hated the other group.”

“I have no hatred in my heart against anybody, only principles and conviction in my spirit. So that statement was completely unwarranted,” Lagman said.

As a background, Lagman belongs to the Magnificent 7, a group of congressmen claiming to be the real House minority and who are contesting the minority leadership of Quezon Rep. Danilo Saurez.

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