A Nationals MP in a marginal seat spent more time in Manila than he did in Parliament for two years in a row after falling in love.

George Christensen, who holds the north Queensland seat of Dawson, spent 72 days in the Philippines capital in both 2016 and 2017.

By comparison, he spent 51 days in Canberra in 2016 and 64 days in the Australian capital in 2017, a Herald-Sun investigation has revealed.

Nationals MP George Christensen (pictured with fiancee April Asuncion) spent 72 days in the Philippines capital in 2016 and 2017

Despite holding his seat by a 3.3 per cent margin at the 2016 election, Mr Christensen has spent 294 days in the Philippines over a four-year period.

He has claimed he had gone to South-East Asia to visit his fiancee April Asuncion and her family in 2017, while also helping to raise funds for a charity providing disabled children with wheelchairs.

Mr Christensen also maintains he funded the trips himself and accused the Labor Party and a senior Liberal MP of running a 'smear campaign' against him.

'As far as I'm concerned and the facts are concerned, this matter is over,' he told News Corp Australia.

Despite holding his seat by a 3.3 per cent margin at the 2016 election, Mr Christensen has spent 294 days in the Philippines over a four-year period

If Sportsbet odds are any guide, the backbencher is on course to lose his seat at the next election to Labor.

The Australian Federal Police are particularly concerned about the potential for blackmail, which prompted Mr Christensen in December to admit he was the person referred to in reports about a government MP making frequent trips to Southeast Asia.

His Queensland Nationals colleague Matt Canavan defended Mr Christensen's trips.

'This is a massive beat up that's an invasion of George's privacy as well,' he told Sky News on Wednesday.

The cabinet minister noted Mr Christensen had undertaken charity work in the Philippines, but stressed the Mackay-based MP was highly focused on his electorate.

'George is an extremely committed local member,' Senator Canavan said.