MANILA, Philippines?The most notorious chronic absentee of the House of Representatives, Negros Occidental Rep. Jules Ledesma, will receive his entire salary, including bonuses, if he attends the last two sessions of the 14th Congress.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles revealed that Ledesma, who has been perennially absent from the House, paid a visit to the House of Representatives during the Christmas break to get his salary.

But since the staff handling the representatives? wages and allowances were on holiday, the millionaire lawmaker did not get his money. He called Nograles to help him in his predicament.

?Congress was on a Christmas break and no employees of consequence were available,? said Nograles in a text message to reporters. ?I just told him to please attend at least the last two sessions of the year so you can get all the papers, documents and salaries due you.?

The 14th Congress will resume on Jan. 18 and adjourn on Feb. 5.

Nograles, however, did not say how much Ledesma would receive. A representative has a monthly salary of P35,000 on top of bonuses, communication and travel allowances, budget for office and staff, and P70 million cut in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or ?pork barrel.?

Ledesma, the third richest representative with a net worth of P427.529 million, has long been known for his frequent absences in Congress which had set off debates on whether absentee lawmakers should be penalized for their laziness.