Executive Secretary Ralph Recto broke his silence over Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste’s allegations of the former’s collusion with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the fabrication of “ghost” or fictitious infrastructure projects, calling Leviste a “born liar,” a “bitter brat,” and accused him of attempted bribe, running an artificial intelligence (AI) “factory of lies,” and having ghost solar farms.
“You can only fight a natural born liar with the truth,” Recto said in a statement.
Recto claimed Leviste had approached him with a ₱400 million bribe, then ₱1 billion to have Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, his wife, step down so he may succeed her.
“Sa kanyang baluktot na pag-iisip, lahat ng mga bagay ay for sale: tao, dangal, posisyon,” Recto wrote.
He then disclosed that Leviste reportedly orchestrated a “massive vote-buying operation” in Batangas, which was “unprecedented in history.”
The secretary also claimed that he refused to let Leviste have the Nasugbu sugar cane plantation spanning thousands of hectares.
“Wala akong kakayahang pagbigyan ang isang maituturing na agaw-lupa. Tinanggihan ko ulit ito,” he said.
Recto claimed that he was pushing to meet with the President to bury his ₱24 billion debt from his ghost solar farm projects.
In addition, Recto also said Leviste was overseeing AI operations and troll farms to tarnish the name of Cabinet members and the administration as a whole.
Addressing his connection with Construction Workers Solidarity (CWS) Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, Recto said Gardiola was a long-time political opponent, but buried the hatchet as a fellow Batangueño lawmaker.
“Wala akong ghost projects. Wala akong flood control projects. At lahat ng proyekto ko sa Batangas bilang mambabatas ay may resibo at dama ng tao,” Recto said.
“Sa tulong ng mga district congressmen, halos naipasemento ang mga kalsada sa buong Batangas at nakapagtayo ng libong silid-aralan,” he continued, adding that this was the fruit of quiet labor as opposed to Leviste, who has been loud but has yet to see a national highway completed.
Recto said he had never met such a savage and cunning trickster.
“Sa tatlumpung taon ko sa serbisyo, ngayon lang ako nakaharap ng isang taong ganito—mas ganid, mas tuso, manlalansin, at kayang isangtabi ang katotohanan para lamang sa pansariling kapakinabananga,” the executive secretary declared.
“He is a deranged and dangerous person who will even skin his loved ones, and use their skin to drumbeat his empty achievements to feed his narcissism,” he added.
Recto then said that, with the country facing challenges on multiple fronts, one must not waste time on a circus caller who would eat glass shards if that would gain him attention.
“We should be wary of psychotic sideshows that divert us from real issues at hand. Balik na tayo sa trabaho. Sa Batangas kasi may kasabihan: ‘’Wag pansinin ang asong ulol na kahol nang kahol,’” he concluded.
In a Facebook post, Leviste responded, challenging Recto to face the Congress so that the public may know which of them is telling the truth.
“Hinahamon ko si Ralph Recto na humarap sa Kongreso para magkaalaman sino sa amin ang nagsasabi ng totoo. Kahit bukas, o alinman sa mga susunod na araw ng sesyon. Nagsisimula pa lang ako,” Leviste wrote.
