Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III clarified that the agency does not view Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste as an adversary, following the circulation of a controversial document reportedly listing DPWH projects linked to a lawmaker.
In an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Bernabe said he believes Leviste has good intentions in releasing information aimed at exposing corruption in government.
“Baka naman po talagang siya po ay nagsisiwalat ng mga impormasyon para naman po mapalinis, matanggal ang corruption. Mukhang yun naman po talaga ang kanyang pakay, ang kanyang paglabas ng mga impormasyon,” Bernabe said.
However, the undersecretary emphasized the need for caution and thorough verification before publicizing any sensitive information.
He confirmed that the document shared by Leviste, which allegedly lists projects linked to the Gardiola family, is not official and did not come from DPWH.
Bernabe noted that the document included MAIP (Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients), a program under the Department of Health, which is outside DPWH’s mandate. The paper also lacked a signatory, document tracker, and other verification features standard in official DPWH records.
“Talagang mukha pong nilagyan lang ng letterhead ito pero wala po kasi kaming ganyan dokumento. Hindi rin naman po kami nakasummarize ng mga naukuha ng mga individual o ng mga politiko. Pati po yung dokumento, wala po siya signatory.”
The undersecretary added that Leviste had reportedly received the document from his informants and warned that the public should avoid accepting such papers at face value without validation.
He encouraged citizens to use the DPWH Transparency Portal at transparency.dpwh.gov.ph to access official information on projects and contracts.
Bernabe assured that DPWH has no plans to take action against Leviste, stressing that the congressman’s intentions are believed to be genuine.
“Wala naman po aming action na i-tetake. Kumbaga nabanggit nga namin kanina, tingin naman po talaga namin ay he means well sa kanya pong ginagawa,” he said.
“Siguro panawagan lang po siguro na mas maging maingat lang po, mag-express po tayo ng due diligence especially po sa mga sensitibong mga information o kaya ito po ay nakukuha lang natin sa mga kung kani-kanino. Ito po ay i-validate po muna natin bago po natin isapubliko. Siguraduhin po natin. na ito ay na-verify at na-validate,” Bernabe added.
The DPWH official also affirmed that he and Secretary Vince Dizon are ready to have a conversation with Cong. Leviste should he reach out for verification of his files in hand.
