‘Cabral files’ vs DPWH ‘leaks’

Retired Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Andres Reyes Jr. has become the proverbial last man standing at the fledgling Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). Reyes is the only one left at the three-man fact-finding body following the resignations one after the other of ICI commissioners, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Rogelio Singson and Rossana Fajardo.

Singson resigned last Dec.15 and Fajardo followed suit with her resignation taking effect on Dec. 31. Actually, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong was the first to resign from the ICI as its erstwhile “special adviser” three months ago. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) immediately named former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief retired Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. to replace Magalong.

Assisted by ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka and Azurin, Reyes has no choice but to stay on because someone has to mind the store, so to speak. Since it was created in September under Executive Order (EO) 94, PBBM tasked the ICI to look into the reported “ghost” flood control projects at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The ICI initially conducted fact-finding investigations on 15 private contractors that cornered P545 billion worth of flood control projects of the DPWH, funded by its annual budgets from 2022 to 2023. But in EO 94, it tasked the ICI to probe all government infrastructure projects for the past ten years. Todate, the ICI has submitted eight interim reports to the Office of the President and to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The ICI, along with the DPWH, have recommended for either further investigation, filing and prosecution for criminal and graft charges erstwhile Marcos Cabinet member, ex-DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan, the late DPWH planning and public-private partnership (PPP) service undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, other former DPWH deputies and district engineers, certain senators, congressmen, other government officials and private contractors.

In the meantime, PBBM’s big talk about culprits in the flood control project scams spending Christmas in jail has so far netted a few DPWH district engineers and contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya. Bonoan left for abroad a few days before the ombudsman could act on the ICI’s eighth interim report. Both Bonoan and former Ako Bicol rep. Elizaldy Co, a co-accused on the same case who fled the country much earlier, have yet to return to the Philippines.

Following her resignation, Fajardo called for the transfer of the ICI’s investigative and prosecutorial responsibilities to pertinent agencies with these mandates, including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman. She also backed bills now pending in the 20th Congress which all seek to create an honest-to-goodness Independent People’s Commission (IPC) or an Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICAIC). She believes such a legislated body would have all the necessary authority, powers and wherewithals to prosecute suspected graft-tainted and other anomalous transactions in various government infrastructure projects.

The proposed IPC bill, principally authored by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, is already being debated at the Senate plenary for approval on second reading. On the other hand, the House counterpart ICAIC bills were approved for plenary discussion by the House committee on government reorganization but remain pending at the House committee on appropriations for funding.

At the latest meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), PBBM agreed with the respective leaderships of both chambers of Congress to include the proposed IPC and ICAIC bills among the additional “priority” measures in their common legislative agenda.

The Senate and the House of Representatives will hold today their last session for this year. Under their agreed extended session days, they will specifically pass upon and ratify the final version of the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). So the IPC/ICAIC bills will have to wait for their turn at the legislative mills when Congress resumes sessions on Jan. 26 next year.

The consolidated Senate and House versions of the proposed 2026 GAA will have its acid test today on both floors. The proposed budget for next year was done by the bicameral conference committee (bicam) for the first time via livestreaming. But all eyes are on the proposed DPWH budget for next year and all other “allocables” pertaining to each and every proponent of congressional amendments, realignments, initiatives and insertions in the final 2026 GAA bill.

Coming on the heels of the flood control projects scandal were alleged “DPWH leaks” supposedly showing “wish lists” of individual senators and House members of their specific proposed multibillion-peso farm-to-market roads, school and classroom buildings and other infrastructure projects in other government agencies in the 2025-2026 budgets. The so-called “DPWH leaks” were apparently released to divert or deflect attention away from the “Cabral files” that Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste first revealed having acquired possession of.

“There’s a list in the computer of former usec. Cabral of the proponents of DPWH insertions. A few people have copies of this (list),” Leviste pointed out. “This (list) would help uncover the truth for the ongoing investigations.”

“It is thus imperative that we protect the witnesses of DPWH and preserve their files,” Leviste urged.

Sadly, there were at least three incidents this year of suspicious deaths involving DPWH officials. The latest of which was the suspected suicide of Cabral who fell into a deep ravine in Tuba, Benguet last Dec. 18.

Leviste personally scrutinized and went through the much-vaunted “Cabral files” in his possession.

Featured guest at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Dec. 3, Leviste reiterated the existence of what he called the “Cabral files.” Leviste got hold of the “Cabral files” from the late DPWH undersecretary herself before she submitted last Sept. 4 her courtesy resignation to “acting” DPWH Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon.

As stated in this corner last Friday, there have been unmistakable aggressive efforts to further muddle the “ghost” flood control projects scandal. Leviste already submitted to the ICI and the ombudsman the “Cabral files.” So where do the “DPWH leaks” lead to?