Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste has recommended that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer who was arrested in an entrapment operation for allegedly attempting to bribe him be considered as a "state witness."
In an exclusive interview with DZRH's Dos Por Dos, Leviste said that the DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer, identified as Abelardo Calalo could provide crucial information about the 'systemic practice' of corruption within the DPWH.
“I think ang isa mga dapat na mangyari sa DPWH ay magkaroon ng state witness protection program at baka si district engineer ay pwedeng maging state witness para pwede nating malaman ‘yung tunay na impormasyon sa ibang mga proyekto at pwede rin natin ma-call to account ‘yung mga taong talagang behind [sa] mga ginagawa na ito,” Leviste said.
Leviste clarified that the bribe money did not come from the district engineer himself but from a contractor.
“Hindi naman ito pera ni district engineer at hindi naman siya ang talagang nakinabang sa ginagawang ito. Siya ay isa lang sa mga pieces sa sistema na sana, bilang congressman, pwede nating repormahin ang sistema sa DPWH. Hindi ito tungkol lang sa isang insidente, sa isang tao; ito ay, sa tingin ko, problema ng sistema ng DPWH,” Leviste stressed.
The young lawmaker revealed he is set to file multiple charges before the Office of the Prosecutor in Batangas City, including violations of the Anti-Bribery Law, the Anti-Corruption Law, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
“Ako po ay paalis ngayon papunta sa Office of the Prosecutor sa Batangas City. I-file natin in a few hours ang ating kaso ng Anti-Bribery Case, Corruption of Public Officials, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards, at iba pang mga charges," he stated.
Leviste narrated on DZRH how the attempted payoff happened.
“Hindi lang po ito kasi dahil ako ay in-offer ng supot na may 3 million plus pesos na cash, pero sinabi din sa akin na ang mga projects ng DPWH sa aking distrito ay pwede ding bigyan sa akin po ng 10% na SOP. At ito po ay ginagawa talaga para sa mga Congressman,” the congressman recounted.
According to him, the bag of money included receipts and a list of three awarded flood-control projects under construction in his district, all handled by the same contractor.
He further alleged that the contractor was willing to provide up to ₱15 million, with the ₱3.1 million only as an “initial” installment.
When asked if the Calalo is qualify to be a state witness, he reiterated that Calalo is "not the source" of the bribe money.
"Opo, unang-una hindi naman siya ‘yung source ng pera. Siya po ay binigyan lang ng pera para ibigay sa akin. Pangalawa, mas [may] malaking mga nakikinabang sa mga proyekto na ito that same goes for the other district engineer in the country. Hindi naman po dapat ang mga district engineer na i-identified natin as a cause of this problem," he noted.
"Syempre ang ibang mga politiko sometimes alleged to enabling it. But I would more so that the DPWH system is really the bigger problem. Ang sinasabi ng iba kahit na ang isang congressman ay hindi corrupt ‘yung district office niya sa DPWH ay gagawa pa rin ng is mga rigged biddings para mapili nila ang winning contractors at makahingi din ng kickback sa mga contractors," Leviste stated.
Furthermore, Leviste also cited substandard project implementation as a direct result of corruption.
“Kahapon may tinesting kaming sheet pile na ibinaon sa Binambang River, ang dapat sukat nito ay 15 meters pero ang nasukat namin ay 4 meters lang,” he revealed.
As Congress begins deliberations on the 2026 budget, Leviste vowed to scrutinize not only ongoing but also completed DPWH projects in his district.
Meanwhile, Calalo, has arrived at the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Batangas City on Tuesday.
Escorted by police from the Taal Municipal Police Station, Calalo was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was brought to the Hall of Justice. He refused to answer questions from the media.
