Leviste seeks probe into P8B DPWH projects tagged ‘OS EP/SP’

Batangas 1st District Rep. Leviste has sought a probe into Department of Public Works and Highways (Department of Public Works and Highways) projects allegedly tagged under the acronym “OS EP/SP,” amounting to more than P8 billion.

On Wednesday night, ahead of the New Year celebration, Leviste shared a list of 75 DPWH projects that he said came from files linked to the late undersecretary Catalina Cabral. The lawmaker said around 60 percent of the projects were flood control or slope protection works, while 40 percent involved roads or streetlights.

Leviste said there is still no clear definition of what “OS EP/SP” stands for, but noted that the acronym resembles those used for the Office of the President (OS), Executive Secretary (ES), and Special Assistant to the President (SAP).

However, the neophyte lawmaker clarified that the acronym may refer to offices rather than specific individuals.

“Maaring tumutukoy ito sa mga opisina, hindi sa mismong mga tao,” Leviste said.

“Naniniwala akong Hindi ito SI Dating ES Lucas Bersamin dahil nagtanong ako sa kanila at sabi nila na wala silang kaalaman tungkol dito at buon ang kanilang suporta para sa Isang imbestigasyon upang matukoy kung sino ito,” he added.

Earlier, Leviste had also posted what he described as a “high-level value formula” allegedly shared by Cabral. The formula, called the Baseline Balanced Managed (BBM) parametric formula, drew attention due to its acronym being associated with President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr..

Among the projects he flagged was an almost P300-million streetlight project along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway in his district, awarded to New Rich General Contractor Services & Trading Co.

Leviste said the project is already operational but pointed out that each streetlight reportedly cost around P230,000, nearly five times higher than the usual price.

“It is hard to say that there are no anomalies in that project,” Leviste said.

He said he made the list public after learning that several individuals and agencies already possess copies of the so-called “Cabral Files,” adding that he compared his copy with one source and found the data to be similar.

“Dahil napakarami nang may hawak ng mga files–sa DPWH, Ombudsman, mga opisyal katulad ni Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson, pati na Rin media–naniniwala akong mailalabas din sa publiko ang buong files,” he stated.

The young congressman said he would defer to more experienced lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to investigate who the “OP (ES/SAP)” referred to in the DPWH budget list.

“Hahayaan natin Ang mga beterano sa Kongreso at Senado na manguna sa imbestigasyon at mahalaga MALAMAN kung sino Ang “OP (ES/SAP)” nagpapondo nito dahil Hindi Naman pwedeng biglang may mga anomalyang sumulpot at hindi natin mapaliwanag bakit nasa loob siya ng ating budget,” Leviste emphasized.

He added that he hopes the DPWH itself will publicly release the complete files to establish the legitimacy of the data left behind by Cabral, a DPWH official who had been implicated in alleged flood control project corruption.

Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman, through Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, cautioned the public about the risk of relying on “Cabral Files” obtained from third-party sources, warning that such documents could be altered or tampered with.

“Naniniwala ako na pinakamabuting ang DPWH mismo ang maglabas ng lahat ng files sa publiko, upang hindi na ito kuwestiyunin nila at upang sila na rin ang makapagpaliwanag, sa pinakamaagang panahon, at mapawi ang mga espekulasyong may itinatago,” Leviste said.

“Kami namang may kopya ng files ay maaaring magsabi kung tugma ang inilabas sa publiko sa mga kopyang hawak namin,” he added.