Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste has further asserted the claim that politicians, contractors, district engineers, and officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) play a role in inserting overpriced projects into the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

In an interview on DZRH’s “Dos Por Dos” with anchors Gerry Baja and Anthony Taberna, Leviste said that while he personally has not made many insertions in the NEP, several of his colleagues — and even DPWH officials — have done so.

“Ako po wala masyadong mga ipinapasok pero iba sa ating mga kasamahan ay maraming ipinapasok ngayon. Mas marami pa ang mga insertions sa National Expenditure Program na isinusumite ng DPWH,” Leviste said.

He revealed that some contractors allegedly submit their own lists of projects to district engineers, which then find their way into the official DPWH budget.

“May mga nagsabi na ito ay ginagawa kapalit ng konsiderasyon... natanggap namin ang mga mensahe mula sa aming dating district engineer na may mga listahan na isinumite ng mga contractor para sa asphalt overlay projects at pagkatapos nitong mga mensahe ‘yon ay lumabas nga sa DPWH budget,” he said.

Leviste noted that this practice has been happening for years, with insertions sometimes coming from within the DPWH itself.

“Hindi po kongreso lang ang dapat tignan, dapat pati sa loob ng DPWH tignan kasi ang balita ko sa aking distrito mas malaki pa ang mga insertions galing sa DPWH officials kaysa ‘yong mga galing sa politiko,” he added.

During the program, Baja and Taberna read a printed screenshot of a conversation between a woman named Hannah and an individual, where the latter mentioned “₱1 billion for funding” requested by a contractor “who would help release the funds.”

The conversation states: “Good morning po ma’am Hannah. Ito po ‘yong isang 1B na for funding. Hiningi po ng isang contractor na tutulong magpa-release ng funds.”

Leviste confirmed that his staff received similar messages, which points out that these communications reveal how contractors have long been involved in influencing project funding and budget insertions.

“Muli ito po ay kinukumpirma ng Kongreso, ishineshare ko lang po ‘yong mga mensahe na natanggap ng aming staff,” he said.

“May discretion ang mga DPWH kung anong ipasok at siyempre kung hindi natin sila binabantayan, may temptation na ipasok kapalit ng konsiderasyon.”

He added that excessive project costs are a telltale sign of corruption.

“Ang kataasan ng presyo sa DPWH ay Prima Facie evidence, evidence on the face of it that meron talagang pagbigay sa mga proponent,” Leviste explained. “Bakit naman halos doble ang mga presyo ng DPWH projects kaysa sa mga privately done projects?”

Leviste said that when he first assumed office, several contractors approached him with offers of up to 25% kickbacks in exchange for awarding them projects from his district’s DPWH budget, which totals about ₱1.6 billion.

“Kung ibigay ko sa kanila ang mga road projects... pwede akong bigyan ng up to 25% na kickback,” he recalled. “Kung tatanggapin ko ‘yon, aabot sa ₱400 million.”

He claimed that road projects typically carry around 30% in “SOP” or illicit markups, while vertical or multipurpose projects are slightly lower.

“Ang mga road projects daw ay mahigit 30% ang kabuoang SOP,” he said. “Kung ibaba natin ng average of 25% ay safe na safe naman na pwedeng magawa ang mga proyektong ito ng mababang kalidad basta walang SOP.”

When asked if Secretary Vince Dizon agrees to his proposal to reduce the Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA) by 25%, Leviste said the government could save as much as ₱150 billion from the proposed ₱600-billion DPWH budget for 2026 — funds that could be redirected to more essential public works.

“Sa classrooms dahil kulang talaga sa lahat ng mga distrito sa ating bansa,” he said. “Kung ibaba nila ang unit cost, pwede nilang pahabaan ng project… Kaya ang savings hindi pwede sabihin na hindi malaki ang halaga.”

He explained that lowering project costs would allow the government to stretch resources — building longer roads, more classrooms, and other infrastructure without additional funding.

Leviste further emphasized that such a measure would not only promote efficiency but also curb opportunities for corruption by eliminating the margin often used for kickbacks.

When asked who should be held most accountable for the alleged system of insertions and commissions, Leviste pointed to the top of the agency.

“Sa opinyon ko, ang DPWH secretary. Kasi ang secretary ang naglalagay ng district engineers sa isang distrito,” he said.

“Siya ang gumagawa ng planning at insertion ng mga proyekto sa budget... at siya daw ang kausap ng mga big-time contractor sa loob ng DPWH para ipasok ang mga proyekto sa National Expenditure Program," the congressman added.