Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon said claims about the alleged “dirty laundry” of Congress are irrelevant to the ethics complaint being faced by Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste.
Ridon made the remark in response to Leviste’s statement that his ethics proceedings would give him the opportunity “to air more dirty laundry” of Congress.
In an interview on Isyung Pambayan on Sunday, Ridon said there is no issue if Leviste presents his side, noting that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will also be given the chance to explain its position. However, he stressed that raising issues about Congress’ alleged “dirty laundry” would have no bearing on the ethics proceedings.
“Although may binabanggit kasi siya na parang irrelevant doon sa question ng DPWH. Parang doon niya ihahayag yung dirty laundry ng Kongreso,” Ridon said.
“Parang irrelevant ’yun sa ethics proceedings. Ibang bagay pa po iyon. I don't think it will be through the ethics proceedings that he can actually present those things,” he added.
Ridon noted that only two issues are expected to be tackled during Leviste’s ethics hearing: the alleged forcible seizure of the “Cabral files” from the office of late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, and the alleged ransacking by Leviste and his personnel of the DPWH Batangas First District Engineering Office.
The lawmaker added that Leviste has other platforms where he can raise his claims.
“Nagagawa naman po niyang ’yung mga bagay na paghahayag hindi lang sa ethics committee na puwedeng ipresent,” Ridon said.
Earlier, Leviste refuted claims that he forcibly seized the “Cabral files” from Cabral’s office, saying the allegations were a “cover-up” regarding the content of the documents.
Meanwhile, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon previously denied Leviste’s claim that he was permitted to obtain a copy of the files, saying the Batangas lawmaker instead forcibly took a copy from a computer inside Cabral’s office.
Leviste, for his part, said Dizon was aware that he had obtained a copy of the files as early as September this year and that he was under the impression that the secretary would eventually release the documents to the public.
Leviste also explained that his office obtained documents from the DPWH Batangas First District Engineering Office (DEO) as part of an investigation into alleged bid rigging involving its officials.
A former DEO employee earlier alleged that Leviste’s team also forcibly acquired copies of documents from the office.
Ridon questions Leviste's ‘Cabral files’
It can be recalled that Ridon has denied allegations that he was behind a supposed P150 million road project insertion in Camarines Sur for the 2025 national budget, as included in the said files.
In an earlier interview on Dos Por Dos, Ridon responded to earlier remarks by Leviste, who had publicly mentioned his name in the same program in connection with alleged budget insertions in the towns of Pamplona and Pasacao.
Ridon said Leviste initially named “Bicol-Saro Party-list Terry Ridon” as the source of the alleged insertion, which he argued was already inaccurate.
“‘Yon pa lang ho. Sinungaling na ‘yon. Saka fake news na ‘yon,” Ridon said.
He also stressed that he could not have inserted projects into the 2025 budget because he was not yet a member of Congress when the budget was crafted in 2024.
