Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste confirmed that he is in possession of documents allegedly detailing the proponents of multi-billion-peso infrastructure budget “insertions” within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which were provided to him by the late former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral.
Leviste said he will only release the documents upon clearance from the DPWH and Secretary Vince Dizon, citing concerns over their potential impact and the scope of individuals named in the files.
In a statement and social media posts released over the weekend, Leviste disclosed that Cabral handed him the files on September 4, following a direct instruction from Dizon shortly after the latter assumed office on September 1. According to Leviste, the release was ordered “in the interest of transparency.”
“Since then, many have asked for the late Usec. Cabral’s files to be released to the public. I will await the DPWH’s position on this, and I will do so if Sec. Vince tells me to,” Leviste said.
The lawmaker described the documents as potentially “explosive,” saying they list proponents of flood control and other DPWH projects nationwide. He stressed that the list goes beyond members of Congress and includes officials from the executive branch — such as secretaries and undersecretaries outside the DPWH — as well as private individuals.
“The release of the files would have wide-ranging consequences,” Leviste said, adding that he prefers the DPWH to decide on their public disclosure “so as not to compromise my work in Congress.”
Leviste said the same files were already shown to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on November 18 and 19, and later to the Office of the Ombudsman on November 26. Both bodies, he said, indicated that the documents could be useful in ongoing investigations into anomalous flood control projects.
He traced his request for infrastructure budget data back to May, saying he met Cabral in her office on June 11 and formally followed up with the DPWH on August 11. When Cabral later tendered her courtesy resignation on September 16, Leviste said he became concerned that critical records might be lost, prompting him to seek a meeting on September 4, when the files were turned over to him.
Leviste also credited Dizon for allowing access to the documents, saying it was the secretary’s push for transparency that enabled their release.
Cabral, who had been implicated in the flood control controversy and was previously identified by former DPWH official Roberto Bernardo as a key figure in infrastructure fund planning, died on December 19 after reportedly falling into a ravine along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet.
Initial police reports said she was found unconscious near the Bued River and was later declared dead due to injuries from the fall.
On Saturday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that the cadaver of a woman found in Tuba, Benguet was Cabral, based on DNA analysis and fingerprint examination.
Police said there are no confirmed indications of foul play so far, and the investigation remains ongoing.
As of this writing, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has yet to issue a public response on whether the documents will be officially released.
