Young voice of reform exposes corruption

The Bicameral Conference Committee recently approved the proposed P6.7-trillion national budget for 2026 amid heightened public scrutiny following the so-called “Floodgate” scandal. Both chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, have faced mounting allegations, with figures such as senators Jinggoy Estrada and Chiz Escudero, as well as former lawmaker Zaldy Co and Representative Eric Yap, among those implicated in alleged irregularities linked to flood control projects.

With public demand for transparency and accountability at an all-time high, Filipinos are increasingly searching for voices of integrity amid the political noise.

Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste has emerged as one such figure, not through viral sound bites or partisan attacks, but through direct and unflinching statements calling out alleged corruption within government.

“Allegedly, almost 100 percent of bids in the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) are rigged,” Leviste said in a Wednesday, 17 December interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk. The neophyte congressman visited the Tribune headquarters to offer his account of what he claims transpired behind the scenes of the flood control scandal, while also warning of how corruption could evolve in its aftermath.

Leviste alleged that P60 billion in “excess” funds returned to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) were later rechanneled into flood control projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“There is debate on whether those then were used for DPWH projects. But unprogrammed appropriations (UA) were used for DPWH projects,” he said.

“So if you think that the funds are fungible, then to the extent that the funds went into unprogrammed appropriations, which were then used to fund DPWH projects, on that basis alone, you can say that the PhilHealth funds were used for DPWH projects.”

Leviste further claimed that P220 billion in unprogrammed appropriations were allocated to the DPWH, with more than half reportedly directed toward flood control projects. He also named Construction Workers Solidarity Partylist Representative Edwin Gardiola, whom he described as the largest “cong-tractor” currently serving in Congress.

“I think Congressman Gardiola is significant because he is the biggest contractor today in Congress,” Leviste said. He added that Gardiola — a licensed engineer and fellow Batangueño — has made little effort to conceal his business interests, citing a paper trail linking him to six companies with contracts totaling around P794 million.

Leviste warned that as scrutiny intensifies on flood control projects, corruption risks shifting to other areas. He pointed to asphalt overlay projects, also overseen by the DPWH, as the next potential flashpoint.

“Asphalt overlay is bigger than flood control. And if the budget prices are not significantly reduced, then that means even after all of this news about the flood control, the corruption is still in the DPWH budget. It just moved from flood control to asphalt overlay,” he said.

Following his interview, Leviste continued to press his anti-corruption campaign. On Sunday, he revealed that the late former DPWH undersecretary Cathy Cabral — whose sudden death has sparked further questions — had personally handed him files allegedly containing a nationwide list of proponents behind agency budget insertions.

“When she tendered her resignation, I worried that files might get lost, so I set a meeting at her office through Director Alex Bote on 4 September,” Leviste said in a Facebook post. “To give credit to Sec Vince who had assumed office on 1 September, it was because of his push for transparency that I was finally given the files,” he added.

The disclosure followed statements Leviste made during his Straight Talk interview — aired a day before Cabral was found dead under circumstances that remain under investigation.

“[Cabral] actually has more influence on the DPWH budget than the speaker of the House,” Leviste said.

As the Philippines grapples with what many describe as the largest corruption scandal in its history, figures like Leviste continue to stand out — confronting alleged wrongdoing head-on and insisting that accountability, not silence, is the price of public service.