Palace to probe authenticity of ‘Cabral files’ in Leviste’s hands
Malacañang said on Sunday the manner in which Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste obtained the so-called “Cabral files” should be investigated as a key figure in the flood control corruption scandal and alleged source of the documents could no longer testify.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said even Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon had neither seen nor authenticated the documents made public by the freshman lawmaker who allegedly got them from the late Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
“Sec Vince was not saying that the files were legitimate or not. But he could not confirm if these really came from the DPWH if he did not see the files himself,” she said in an interview with DZBB radio.
In a TV interview earlier, Dizon said he had never authenticated the documents that Leviste had as he did not see them in the first place.
“He forcibly got a copy of the files by using the computer of a staff member. This was narrated by Usec Cabral to me after he (Leviste) saved the files to his flash drive from the computer of a staff member,” he said.
Castro was open to the possibility that if the files were legitimate, these could help in the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Office of Ombudsman.
“But as long as the DPWH does not authenticate these files in possession of Leviste, then they will just be considered as speculation or hearsay. And these could even bungle the ongoing inquiries,” Castro said.
Leviste’s challenge
On Dec. 24, Leviste posted on his Facebook page the 2025 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budgets of the various District Engineering Offices for each of the more than 250 legislative districts across the country.
He said he got the documents on Sept. 4 from Cabral, a central figure in the budget preparation of the DPWH, who died after falling to the bottom of a ravine beside Kennon Road in Benguet province on Dec. 18.
The documents show the amounts, from millions to billions of pesos, in alleged “allocable” funds per district in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and in the final General Appropriations Act (GAA), or the national budget.
Castro cited Dizon’s statements clarifying that he had not authenticated any document in Leviste’s possession, in response to the congressman’s challenge to verify the documents’ authenticity directly with the DPWH chief.
“Here is the document containing the 2025 DPWH Budget per District Summary that was given to me by the late USec. Cabral,” Leviste said on Christmas eve.
He said that under the column heading “NEP Restored” were the “allocable” funds, or what he called the “yearly allocation that a district congressman can allocate.” The total for 2025 was P401.3 billion, he added.
However, Leviste clarified that the lawmakers whose names appeared on the “allocables” list were not the proponents of the projects but mentioned only as the representatives of specific districts.
Critics have targeted the 2025 budget for being bloated with allocable and discretionary funds, which Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the Senate blue ribbon committee chair, had described as the “new pork barrel.”
Last January, former Senate President Franklin Drilon said the 2025 national budget was the “most corrupt” he had seen in his 24 years as a legislator.
Lacson said Leviste has asked for a meeting with him “to seek advice on how to go about the Cabral files.” He told reporters that they may meet “after the New Year.”
In a statement on Sunday, Leviste rejected doubts regarding the authenticity of the documents. He posted an email from the current Undersecretary Nicasio A. Conti, who replaced Cabral, “noted by” Dizon, indicating that the public works secretary was aware of the documents.
Conti provided Leviste, “upon the instruction” of Dizon, a summary of the proposed 2026 DPWH infrastructure program per DEO or legislative district based on the revised NEP and the House version of the budget bill.
Leviste hasn’t made the 2026 documents public.
But the documents contained discrepancies as they listed several congressmen who had passed away months or years before the Department of Budget and Management submitted in July 2024 the 2025 NEP to Congress. These include:
- Carlos Cojuangco (died Feb. 2022)
- Marisol Panotes (died April 2022)
- Edward Hagedorn (died Oct. 2023)
- Edgardo Salvame (died March 2024)
- Elpidio Barzaga Jr. (died April 2024)
The 2025 budget documents posted by Leviste showed that the largest allocation went to Mindoro Island—P20.99 billion for Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tarriela’s district and P20.79 billion to Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan’s district.
This was followed by Leyte 1st district under Rep. Martin Romualdez (P19.1 billion).
In Region I, Rep. Sandro Marcos’ district received the highest allocation (P12.9 billion). The highest in the Cordillera Administrative Region went to the lone district of Abra, led by Rep. Menchie Bernos (P10.4 billion).
The highest in the entire Region III was for Bulacan third district (P16.7 billion), followed by Zambales third district (P10.5 billion).
In Region IV-A, only the first district of Quezon received an allocation of more than P10 billion, while Rizal’s fourth district received the lowest allocation (P550 million).
Sorsogon’s first district in Region V and Cebu’s seventh district in Region VII both received more than P11 billion.
In the National Capital Region, the biggest allocation went to the district of Taguig-Pateros Rep. Ricardo Cruz Jr., (P6.433 billion). Makati Rep. Luis Campos Jr.’s district had the lowest allocation (P829.2 million).
Meanwhile, Castro told reporters that investigations would continue against anyone involved in the corruption and kickback scandal, even if they were members of the Cabinet.
Responding to Castro’s statements questioning the authenticity of the documents in his possession, Leviste the Palace official will just “make a fool of herself” as everything he had revealed were publicly verifiable.
“The fact that other sources have been releasing copies of the files proves that I did not make it up,” he said.
He said that Dizon “sincerely wanted transparency” in the DPWH and wanted the files to be made public. He hinted that Dizon may be under pressure to keep a lid on these documents.
“I attempted several times to deliver a privilege speech in Congress to make this data public in October and November. [But] many of my colleagues in Congress asked me not to make them public,” Leviste revealed.
“Maybe they are the same personalities now appealing to Sec Vince,” he said. “Everyone on the list doesn’t want their names to be revealed. It’s also sad that instead of making them public, they’re being covered up,” Leviste added. —WITH A REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS
