Batangas First District Representative Leandro Leviste of Batangas said Tuesday he will now leave the disclosure of the controversial “Cabral Files” to government investigators, following statements from a lawyer representing the family of the late Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral.

Leviste, in a statement, said that he has “done his part” in informing the public of the documents’ existence and called on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of the Ombudsman to officially authenticate and release the files in the interest of transparency.

The move follows an interview Monday with Atty. Mae Divinagracia, the lawyer for the Cabral family, who said she had seen documents “ostensibly similar” to those Leviste has made public.

While Divinagracia could not confirm with “absolute certainty” that the files were identical without seeing Leviste’s full collection, she noted the descriptions of project lists and proponent names appeared to correspond.

“Atty. Divinagracia confirmed the files exist and are with the DPWH,” Leviste said. “It is best that we let the DPWH or Ombudsman be the one to release the files to the public, so the files can be authenticated and explained.”

The documents reportedly detail a list of public works projects with handwritten notes from leadership. Leviste noted that his copies match those recently secured by others from the DPWH.

During the exchange, Leviste also addressed allegations regarding the late undersecretary’s final months. He supported Divinagracia’s claim that Cabral felt she was being made a “scapegoat” for the country’s flood control issues after 40 years of service.

Leviste said Cabral told him in September that she was forced to tender a courtesy resignation, which denied her early retirement benefits.

The lawmaker further alleged that Cabral was pressured to implicate Budget Secretary Mina Pangandaman in exchange for becoming a state witness, but she refused because the claims were “not true.”

Leviste stressed that he intends to stop commenting on the matter unless new developments arise, expressing confidence that the DPWH leadership and the Ombudsman will address the files appropriately.