BATANGAS 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has distributed 250,000 noche buena packs ahead of the holidays, saying the initiative was funded entirely from his personal resources.
In a statement, Leviste said the food packs were procured and stored through the Lingkod Legarda Leviste Foundation and kept in his warehouse for dispatch in the coming weeks.
He emphasized that the project involved no government funds. “I choose not to accept kickbacks or even my salary or congressional office budget, but I can’t not donate these Noche Buena packs after seeing how it makes other people happy,” he said.
Leviste added that government should not increase spending on similar aid programs. Instead, he said lowering VAT and other regressive taxes would allow more families to buy their own holiday goods while relying on higher earners to contribute through taxes and philanthropy.
