The clash over the truth behind the so-called “Cabral files” showed no signs of slowing down on the eve of New Year celebrations, as Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste and the Department of Public Works and Highways continued to exchange accusations over the flood control scandal.

While Filipino families prepared for media noche, Leviste on Tuesday challenged flood control investigators to disclose their alleged ties with contractors. He cited a P11.5-billion New Clark City project implemented during the tenure of former Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) chief Vince Dizon.

The project, reportedly awarded to Malaysian firm Alloy MTD, listed Lourel Development Corporation as a subcontractor for the River Park flood control component. Lourel is owned by the family of Representative Edwin Gardiola, who is currently under investigation by DPWH under Dizon’s leadership.

Leviste shared a Facebook post showing a screenshot of Dizon at a riverbank construction site with the caption: “Vince Dizon of Bases Conversion and Development Authority…Alloy MTD Team and Lourel Development Corporation discussing the existing biodiversity at the ocular visit of National Riverpark Corridor at New Clark City.”

According to Leviste, this does not necessarily imply wrongdoing but raises questions of transparency. He also pointed to Arrey Perez, whom Dizon appointed as undersecretary, alleging that Perez arranged meetings between Dizon and Gardiola during his time as Transportation secretary.

“I hope that Sec Vince will forgive me for this, but I just need to respond to his statement that there is no basis to BCDA having had a flood control project—BCDA had flood control as part of the COA-flagged ₱11.5B New Clark City project, and the sub-contractor was a company of the family of Gardiola, who did not have a case filed on him before Christmas,” Leviste said.

“Gardiola also had a meeting outside the office with Vince set by Arrey. I don’t want to draw any conclusions, but I think the public deserves to know what the dealings of flood control investigators are with any of the people they are currently investigating.”

Earlier, Dizon denied Leviste’s allegations of “insertions” or “allocables” linked to BCDA during his tenure. The BCDA also issued a statement insisting it has no flood control projects funded through discretionary or “allocable” funds.

“No such funds exist within BCDA projects or its authority. Claims to the contrary are unsupported by evidence and false,” BCDA said.

The agency added that its projects are financed only through approved government programs, “released through the National Treasury, implemented under the General Appropriations Act, and governed by procurement laws and Commission on Audit.”

Meanwhile, the DPWH questioned the timing of Leviste’s accusations, citing reports that he allegedly obtained documents from the late Undersecretary Catalina Cabral without proper authorization.

“The timing of Rep. Leviste’s allegations also raised suspicion after reports of some Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) staff surfaced, accusing the lawmaker of forcefully and illegally getting files from the late Undersecretary Catalina Cabral,” DPWH said.

An exclusive report by GMA News showed CCTV footage of Leviste visiting then-DPWH Undersecretary Cabral on September 4, 2025. In the video, Leviste was seen entering the programming office with Cabral following closely behind. Another clip showed him holding a stack of documents while Cabral appeared to be explaining something.

Anonymous DPWH staff later claimed the footage did not capture the full encounter, alleging that they heard a loud thud inside Cabral’s office and saw Leviste recording documents while Cabral pleaded with him. They further alleged that Cabral sustained a paper cut and was later seen with a bandaged hand.

Another DPWH staff member said Cabral eventually directed personnel to provide Leviste a copy of the 2025 National Expenditure Program and General Appropriations Act listings.

“It doesn't necessarily mean that they were the ones who proposed it. Because for our part, we were just plotting what was in the official documents—how much was allocated to that district in the NEP and the GAA,” the anonymous DPWH staff said in the GMA interview.

Leviste denied allegations that he illegally obtained the documents and thanked DPWH for confirming their authenticity.

“I vehemently deny any allegation that I illegally obtained files from DPWH and also thank them for confirming the authenticity of the files that were given to me on September 4 with the approval of Sec Vince,” Leviste said.

“The timing of the DPWH saying this now about an event months ago is suspect, and only raises questions on why DPWH doesn’t just release all the files if there’s nothing to hide,” he added.

Leviste later shared a trimmed copy of the GMA News report on social media, omitting the portion that alleged he forcefully sourced the “Cabral files.”