MANILA, Philippines — Lobbying and bribery by businessmen are rampant in Congress, according to former congressman and presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

“I saw it firsthand in the House of Representatives,” he told “The Chiefs” show on Cignal TV’s One News on Wednesday night.

In the same interview, Roque, who gave up his senatorial bid due to health problems, said a candidate for senator in the 2019 elections should be prepared to spend “a minimum of P500 million.”

The money can be sourced from donors, including businessmen who expect payback or a return on their investments, Roque said.

He was a representative of party-list group Kabayan before President Duterte recruited him to be his spokesman in October 2017.

Roque said the House committees where lobbying takes place most are those on ways and means, and legislative franchises.

The committee on ways and means deals with taxes, “which are very sensitive to businessmen,” he said.

He alleged that cigarette firm Mighty Corp. “lobbied heavily before the President ran after it.”

Roque said the culture of corruption in Congress is such that “it’s so natural that money is being given to them (lawmakers).”

“It’s like you have to accept it, though you are not being forced to. You are told to go to the office of Congressman X to get your P200,000 in connection with this measure,” he said.

Roque said he did not take anything because he did not want to be part of such culture, “which is against what I stand for.”

“Two hundred thousand? That’s cheap. I would have taken it if it were P200 million,” he said in jest.

He added that if a House member talks about the bribery, “everyone pounds on him.”

Roque said he is against legalizing lobbying like in the United States and other countries, “because you will legitimize something that is wrong in the first place.”

Besides, the former human rights lawyer said lobbying could run in conflict with anti-graft laws.

As for campaign expenses, Roque said candidates for senator should be ready to spend billions to have chances of winning.

“You have to have at least six TV spots a day (during the three-month campaign),” he said.

According to Bayan Muna senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares, a 30-second advertisement on television costs P1 million.

Colmenares said he could not afford it, so he has taken his campaign to social media.

As for Roque, he said a campaign costing P300 million was presented to him and he asked: “How could we raise this kind of money?”

Roque disputed a recent report that he has spent P174 million in pre-election campaign advertising.

“That’s not true. It spent just a fraction of that. I owe my wife and my relatives money,” he said.

Despite his discontinued Senate bid, Roque is not ruling out a return to politics or government service.

“As of now, I am enjoying my life as a gentleman of leisure,” he said.