Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has escalated the release of what he calls the “Cabral files,” asserting that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), and the Office of the Ombudsman can confirm the authenticity and contents of documents detailing DPWH budget allocations from 2023 to 2026.
In a press conference on Thursday, Leviste released a set of documents he said outline about P3.5 trillion in DPWH capital outlays per region and congressional district. He said the figures were based on DPWH data approved by Secretary Vince Dizon and files initially provided to him by the late former DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral.
Leviste challenged critics, including Malacañang Palace, to seek confirmation directly from DPWH, the ICI, and the Ombudsman.
“Secretary Vince and others in DPWH, and others in congress will confirm the authneticity of the files that I've uploaded,” he said.
Leviste said he presented the Cabral files to the ICI on 18 and 19 November and to the Ombudsman on 26 November, adding that both institutions told him they had not previously seen the documents before he showed them. He reiterated that these bodies, along with the DPWH, are in a position to corroborate the records’ authenticity and the budget details contained in the files.
According to Leviste, the documents detail capital outlays for local projects and exclude personnel services, maintenance expenses, and foreign-assisted projects. He added that the files also include unprogrammed appropriations released for priority projects in 2023 and 2024.
Malacañang has dismissed allegations linked to budget insertions as “hearsay” unless the documents are formally authenticated by the DPWH. Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro earlier said unverified materials “have no probative value.”