Leviste releases supposed Cabral files detailing 2025 DPWH budget
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has shared the documents detailing the 2025 budget allocation of the DPWH on infrastructure projects, which were supposedly given to him by former Usec. Maria Catalina Cabral before her death.
The congressman posted photos of the said documents on his official Facebook page, showing a summary of the budget allegedly given to district engineering offices and their representatives.
The records contain six columns: First is the region where the projects are built, second is the district engineering office that implements them, third is the House representative in charge of the district, fourth is the original National Expenditure Program allocations, fifth is the NEP total, and the last column is the total budget.
"Ang nakalagay dito na 'NEP restored' ay ang 'allocable,' ang taun-taon na alokasyon ng maaaring i-allocate ng District Congressman, na ang total ay P401.3 billion (na nadagdagan ng P30 million kada distrito sa 2025, ngunit nagkakaiba ang budget ng bawat distrito)," Leviste explained.
"Bukod dito, may 'outside allocable' naman na ina-allocate ng iba’t ibang mga proponents, kasama ang amendments (o insertions) sa House, Senate, Bicam, pati na rin sa NEP, kaya umabot sa P1.041 trillion ang 'total budget' sa fiscal year 2025 General Appropriations Act," he continued.
He clarified, however, that the "funds" were used by the DPWH for projects and not for the proponents themselves. Moreover, the majority of the budget is outside the "allocable" of district congressmen and comes from other proponents.
"Mabuting malaman ng publiko ang nilalaman ng DPWH budget upang maipagmalaki po natin ang ating mga proyekto," Leviste stressed.
"Sana po ay hindi magalit sa akin ang aking mga kasamahan, at may iba rin naman pong sources tungkol sa DPWH budget," he implored.
In a follow-up post, Leviste disclosed additional documents from "another source from the DPWH" in relation to its 2025 budget.
"Ang dokumentong ito ay nagmula sa ibang source mula sa DPWH at ginamit na ng PCIJ, at tumutugma sa ibinigay sa akin ni yumaong USec Cabral, na nagpapatunay na tama ang mga halagang nasa unang listahan," he said.
According to him, the document shows that not all projects within a district are "allocable" to the district congressman, and that the “outside allocable” portion is even larger.
"Ang mga 'outside allocable' projects ay kadalasang hindi inisyatiba ng District Congressman, kaya hindi dapat sabihin na ang buong budget ng isang distrito ay maaari nilang i-allocate," he said.
"Para din po malinaw: Ang mga budget na ito ay ginagamit ng DPWH para sa mga proyekto, at hindi po para sa proponent," he reiterated.
Leviste previously shared that he had been requesting data on the budget of each congressional district since May and was worried that the files might get lost when Cabral resigned in September amid the flood control corruption probe. He allegedly received the files when Vince Dizon became DPWH secretary.
Cabral died on Dec. 18 after allegedly falling off a ravine along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet. She was one of the former DPWH officials accused of facilitating budget insertions through the NEP by way of substandard and ghost projects and faced administrative charges.
Former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo alleged that Cabral was involved in kickbacks that benefited several public officials, including lawmakers.
The Department of Justice also said that she was among those named in the plunder case scheduled to be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman, related to irregularities in flood control projects in Bulacan.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure invited her to the Dec. 15 hearing, but she didn't show up.
