Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste has called on Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon to disclose any possible connections between members of his team and contractors allegedly involved in anomalous flood control projects.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Leviste claimed that some of Dizon’s appointees had been meeting with contractors outside the DPWH.

“Someone just told me before I arrived here that not only did one person tell me they heard that members of the team are actually contractors, but that other members of the team had already been meeting with contractors outside of DPWH and they are asking for something,” Leviste said.

He added that an executive-level DPWH official had personally called him to clarify the matter during the briefing.

“Maybe Secretary Dizon can also check with all of his appointees who are the contractors, if any, that they’ve met since their appointment, and what they discussed during those meetings,” he said.

Leviste declined to name the official but said the person assured him that the department would look into the allegations.

The lawmaker stressed that his statements were not meant to attack Dizon personally, but to urge transparency amid ongoing investigations into alleged corruption and “ghost” flood control projects.

“I heard that Secretary Dizon and his team have connections with contractors and, in the interest of transparency, should disclose all of their connections with contractors and any knowledge that they have on the possibility of kickbacks from DPWH projects,” Leviste said.

Leviste said he received information from multiple sources, though he refused to identify them. “Appointee of Secretary Dizon. Actually, I was told it’s not just one. So I was told appointees of Secretary Dizon are contractors,” he claimed.

Despite describing Dizon as a “reformer,” Leviste said no official should be exempt from scrutiny.

Leviste also said Dizon would be considered a “hero” if he fully discloses his and his team’s dealings with contractors and implements reforms to lower project costs by 25 percent — a portion he claims often goes to kickbacks.

Dizon assumed leadership of the DPWH on September 2 amid ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities in flood control projects that have drawn widespread public attention.