Palace: Cabinet links to insertions hearsay unless validated

MANILA, Philippines — Documents related to the flood control mess are mere “hearsay” unless validated by the Department of Public Works and Highways, Malacañang said, after Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste released what he described as DPWH files linking executive officials to the controversy.

Earlier this week, Leviste said the late former DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral provided him files listing the proponents of the agency’s insertions on Sept. 4. He said the files were given to him after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told Cabral to release the documents “in the interest of transparency.”

According to Leviste, the files listed project proponents who are lawmakers, private persons and people from the executive branch, “including secretaries and undersecretaries outside DPWH.”

Asked to comment on Leviste’s revelation, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Palace would only respond to documents authenticated by DPWH.

“Other than these, they will all be considered as hearsay or tsismis, which have no probative value,” the Palace press officer said in a text message last Wednesday.

Cabral was regarded as an important figure in the probe into substandard and ghost flood mitigation projects that allowed corrupt officials and contractors to earn kickbacks.

Leviste made the disclosure about Cabral’s files two days after the resigned undersecretary fell to her death in a ravine in Tuba, Benguet. Investigations revealed that blunt force trauma caused her death.

Cabral, who resigned from DPWH in September after she was linked to alleged budget insertions, reportedly surveyed the ravine before jumping to her death an hour later.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla recently said there were no signs of foul play in Cabral’s death based on autopsy results. All indicators and initial findings pointed to suicide as a probable reason for the former undersecretary’s death, he added.

Leviste said he would await the DPWH’s position on whether Cabral’s files would be released to the public.

“The release of the files would have wide-ranging consequences,” he said in a recent statement.

Palace can confirm with Dizon

Leviste said that Castro can verify with Dizon on the authenticity of the data that he released to the media.

“Usec Claire can confirm with Sec. Vince the data, which were provided by DPWH with Sec Vince’s approval. He and I discussed releasing this to the public in September, but I understand if DPWH hasn’t released it yet, because many people on this list have asked me not to release it too,” Leviste said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“I hope that we can all support Sec Vince’s push for transparency in the DPWH, because we should be proud of the projects in our districts. If a district gets a ?10 billion yearly budget, the DPWH uses that for projects, and an insertion doesn’t automatically mean there’s anything for the proponent,” the lawmaker added.

The data on the DPWH budget released by Leviste includes the breakdown of the ?401.3 billion “allocable” budget that can be allocated annually by district congressmen.

Leviste said that he would release more data on “priority projects” funded by Unprogrammed Appropriations, and the proponents of projects based on the files from Cabral’s office.

He also emphasized that the data can easily be verified based on communications from devices from the office of Cabral, her staff, and other DPWH data. The lawmaker also said that the DPWH can confirm the allocations of each district and congressman.

Leviste said that he showed files from Cabral to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Nov. 18 and 19 and to the Office of the Ombudsman on Nov. 26 and that both said they had not seen the files before Leviste showed it to them.

He thanked the DPWH for turning over copies of the files to the ombudsman on Tuesday, after public calls for greater transparency on the DPWH budget.

“Here is the summary of the DPWH budget per district for 2023-2026. Here we can see where the DPWH budget amounting to P3.5 trillion equivalent to P130,000 per Filipino family goes,” Leviste said.

“What I uploaded yesterday is for 2025. This is for 2023-2026. These are based on the DPWH data, with the approval of Secretary Vince Dizon, including our budget data compilation. This jibed with the FY2023-2025 GAA Summary.pdf and FY 2026 DPWH HGAB summary by DEO_LD.pdf which is included in this post that the DPWH revealed as answer to the request during the deliberations on the 2026 budget and files from the office of Usec. Cabral,” he added.

Leviste also clarified that the 2026 House General Appropriations Bill or HGAB figures have adjustments in the 2026 GAA.

“These data are capital outlays for local projects and are not included in the personnel services, maintenance and other operating expenses and Foreign-Assisted Projects. It also includes the ?213.8 billion unprogrammed appropriations that were released to the DPWH for the priority projects in 2023 and 2024 like what the PCIJ has reported,” Leviste said, referring to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

VP Sara: Cabral’s death affects mental health of officials

The death of Cabral will affect the mental wellness of undersecretaries and assistant secretaries in the offices of the departments, Vice President Sara Duterte said yesterday.

“The people involved in the flood control projects will think that they will also fall into the ravine,” Duterte said in an interview in Davao City.

“I can’t speculate on what happened in Kennon Road because I didn’t read the reports,” Duterte added.

As undersecretary for planning, Remulla said Cabral approved all projects in the National Expenditure Program of the government, citing the testimonies of former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and detained contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya.

Cabral’s body was brought to Quezon City from Benguet after investigation by the police confirmed her identity.

Remulla earlier said that the former public works official suffered extensive injuries to her head, face, ribs, hands and legs. – Jose Rodel Clapano, Bella Cariaso