ASEANEWS HEADLINE-COURTS & CRIME | MANILA, Philippines: Cabral files on budget proponents released
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Rep. Leviste releases ‘Cabral files’, but says solons in list are not proponents | ANC
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MANILA, Philippines — After announcing that he had the flood-control project files provided by the late undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Leviste released yesterday the list of project proponents of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the 2025 national budget.
Leviste said the “NEP (National Expenditure program) restored” tag in the documents provided to him by Cabral refers to the “allocables” that each district congressman can earmark for projects.
“To be clear: these budgets are used by the DPWH for projects, not for the proponents. Most of the budget are out of the allocable of the district congressmen and there are other proponents. The public has to know the content of the DPWH budget so we can boast about our projects,” Leviste said in a Facebook post.
The list consisting of 19 pages of paperwork posted by Leviste on his Facebook page presented a breakdown of the DPWH budget per region and per district, which includes the names of the proponents under the P6.326-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) that was prepared in 2024 during the previous 19th Congress.
The list, which was marked “As of 09/04/2025 6:03 p.m.” – the supposed date that Leviste received it from Cabral – included former speaker and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (P19.1 billion) and President Marcos’ son, Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (P12.9 billion).
Leviste released the list, which he described as a “smoking gun” against his fellow congressmen who may have questionable project insertions in the current national budget, days after saying that he would only release it if allowed by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.
It was not clear if Dizon has allowed Leviste to release the list.
Leviste said the total “allocable” amounts stated under the “NEP RESTORED” was P401.3 billion, which in 2025 received an additional P30 million per district, although different districts have varying budgets.
“In addition, there is an outside allocable portion allocated by various proponents, together with the amendments or insertions from the House, Senate, bicam, as well as the NEP, bringing the total budget in the FY 2025 GAA to P1.041 trillion,” Leviste said.
The list released by Leviste did not give a breakdown of the so-called allocables.
Since only district representatives were named, there were no 19th Congress senators on the list.
The NEP or National Expenditure Program is the basis of the budget measure that goes through the bicameral Congress.
Leviste earlier filed a resolution calling for an investigation on projects of the DPWH with Bicol Goldrock Construction, GCI Construction and other firms owned by Steve and Gigi C. Ibasco.
In his resolution, Leviste is also seeking an investigation on insertions in the 2025 budget allegedly made by Bicol Saro party-list.
Leviste also called on Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon to resign as chairman of the House committee on public accounts to ensure a fair investigation.
He accused Ridon of making insertions to the DPWH budget last year even if the latter was not yet a congressman.
Senators deny budget insertions
Prior to Leviste’s revelation, senators tagged in a Bilyonaryo News Channel article have denied involvement in budget insertions in the 2025 NEP.
Among them was Senate finance committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian who slammed the article, which claimed that all senators of the 19th Congress requested projects with the DPWH as early as during the crafting of the NEP.
This was consistent with Leviste’s allegation, who said that even his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, and all the other 19th Congress senators were included in the list of so-called project proponents with the DPWH given to him by Cabral.
Leviste alleged that all 24 senators – both holdover and term-limited – inserted a total of P120-billion DPWH projects in the 2025 NEP.
Then senator and now education secretary Sonny Angara topped the “DPWH Leaks” list, allegedly with the most requested projects at 105.
It remains to be seen how Angara could have wielded influence in requesting projects with the DPWH when he was no longer senator during the budget cycle for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Angara seemingly responded to the report with a tweet on X, comparing the budget cycle to a basketball game, by saying the crafting of the NEP is the first round in the entire process.
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“On the subject of budget, everyone knows that the NEP are just requests, which will still go through the agencies and the processes of the legislature. In basketball, this is just the first quarter – GAA/general appropriations act will be the final game result. A lot of things can change. The question is, why was the focus there and no amounts?” Angara asked.
Angara was a senator during the 19th Congress, but he resigned mid-year or in July 2024 when he was appointed education secretary. The budget deliberations in Congress had not yet started at that time.
However, Angara was still a senator during the time the executive was crafting the 2025 NEP.
It was way back in 2023 when Angara served as the Senate finance committee chair for the deliberations of the 2024 NEP and GAB.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian allegedly requested four projects with the DPWH.
“I categorically deny claims that I was among those who requested the DPWH to insert projects in the 2025 NEP at any point during my term as senator,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian said until the lid was blown off the flood control corruption scandal, he had never met Cabral, said to be the brains behind the “pork barrel” scheme in the executive department.
“The claims being circulated lack credibility and remain unsubstantiated,” he added.
Others tagged in the alleged list have also denied the accusations – including Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito, as well as former senator Ramon Revilla Jr.
Remulla: No proof Cabral met contractor
There is no evidence that Cabral was supposed to collect debts from a contractor before she allegedly jumped to her death into a ravine in Tuba, Benguet, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, citing closed-circuit television footage.
“All of the CCTV (footage) showed that she went up, ate and went down right after. We did not see her talking to anyone,” he said in a statement.
Caloocan 2nd district Rep. Edgar Erice previously claimed the late undersecretary traveled to Benguet to collect debts from an unnamed contractor.
However, CCTV footage from the Ion Hotel showed Cabral was with her driver, Ricardio Hernandez, hours before her death on Dec. 18.
A series of CCTV footage, shown over GMA News’ “24 Oras,” showed Cabral walking toward the hotel at around 1 p.m., as her sport utility vehicle (SUV) pulled up shortly thereafter.
Cabral was seen checking in at the front desk, before Hernandez accompanied her to a room on the fourth floor at around 1:10 p.m.
She then went to Hernandez’s room at around 2:47 p.m. and both left moments later. They were seen leaving the hotel onboard the SUV, supposedly towards Kennon Road where Cabral allegedly committed suicide.
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Remulla said they are trying to secure Cabral’s cellphone and other gadgets so that police investigators can determine if she received threats before her death.
The department chief said the location where Cabral’s body was found is connected to a corruption case that might implicate her – involving an overpriced rock-netting project.
The project only had a price of P325 per square meter but was sold to the government for P1,400 per square meter.
Cabral ‘trembled’
When Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong was still special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), he asked Cabral to come close to the screen and look at the chart flashed during a hearing.
“Cabral trembled and asked for water,” Magalong said in an interview with “The Big Story” on One News on Tuesday.
Magalong showed the difference between the amounts requested by congressional districts of Region IV-B in the 2025 NEP and the figures approved in the GAA.
Discaya in Cebu jail
Meanwhile, contractor Sarah Discaya and her co-accused are undergoing mandatory quarantine at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail after being turned over to local authorities in Cebu, police said yesterday.
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Police said Discaya, tagged in the alleged P96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental, is under quarantine with other accused for a period ranging from two days to two weeks, in line with jail protocols. – Delon Porcalla, Emmanuel Tupas, EJ Macababbad, Mark Ernest Villeza
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