Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste filed a formal complaint on Tuesday against Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Abelardo Calalo for allegedly attempting to bribe him to stop investigations into infrastructure projects in the district.
Leviste said he filed cases of direct bribery, corruption of public officials, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials at the Hall of Justice in Batangas City on Tuesday, August 26.
In a press conference, Leviste revealed that more than ₱300 million in kickbacks are allegedly funneled every year from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects in his district to the office of the congressman.
"Hindi lang po ito tungkol sa mahigit 3 million pesos na suhol kung hindi tungkol sa umaabot na mahigit 300 million pesos kada taon na SOP o Standard Operating Procedure o kickbacks mula sa mga proyekto ng DPWH na nakalaan umano para sa congressman ng unang distrito ng Batangas taon-taon," said Leviste.
In his sworn statement, Leviste claimed Calalo told him that contractors in the district were willing to give him 5 to 10 percent of the ₱3.6 billion worth of projects, or between ₱180 million and ₱360 million a year.
He added that one contractor was ready to hand over an initial ₱15 million in cash, while the ₱3.1 million Calalo delivered represented 3 percent of a ₱104-million project.
"Ang paliwanag sa akin ni DE, natutuwa daw ang mga kontraktor sa mga programa ko para sa edukasyon. Kaya gustong gusto nilang magpadala daw sa akin ng suporta," he said.
"May isang kontraktor na handa na raw mag-withdraw ng inisyal na 15 million pesos cash para sa akin kinabukasan. Yung 3.1 million pesos naman na dala ni DE ay 3% mula sa isang kontraktor na may 104 million pesos in projects na may resibo at komputasyon sa supot ng pera na dala ni DE," the young lawmaker noted.
Citing Calalo’s explanation, Leviste said there were no genuine bidding processes for DPWH projects in the district, as contractors were selected based on their willingness to provide kickbacks. Calalo allegedly even named the biggest contractors who had benefited under the previous congressman.
Had he accepted the offer, Leviste said he would have begun meeting with contractors this week to receive millions of pesos in kickbacks from 2025 projects, which could reach more than ₱1 billion over the next three years.
The congressman emphasized that others may bear greater responsibility than district engineers, saying the real beneficiaries of the corruption system must be held accountable.
He vowed never to accept kickbacks and committed to continuing audits of all DPWH projects in the first district, not only flood control projects, to ensure quality implementation without additional cost to the government.
"Kailanman ay hindi ako tatanggap ng kickbacks, wala akong pag-aatubili na ipaglaban na ang lahat ng mga proyekto sa unang distrito ng Batangas ay dapat gawin ng tama," Leviste emphasized.
Leviste also underscored that mere investigations into DPWH anomalies are not enough, stressing that the agency’s proposed ₱880-billion budget for 2026 should not be approved if widespread corruption is proven.
The lawmaker also urged Calalo, along with current and former DPWH employees and contractors, to come forward as "state witnesses."
"Kaya po, binabanggit na mayroong ibang mga tao na mas may kasalanan kaysa sa mga district engineer. Naniniwala rin po ako na ang taong nakakaalam tungkol sa mga mas malakihing di umano'y korupsyon sa mga proyekto ng DPWH ay walang iba kundi ang ating district engineer," the solon noted.
"Kaya ang isang wish ko lang po ay mabuksan ang isip ng ating District Engineer Abelardo Calalo at ang ibang mga kasulukuyang at dating empleyado ng DPWH o mga kontraktor na maging state witness para sama-sama nating mapanagot ang mga taong talagang nakinabang sa sistema ng korupsyon sa mga DPWH projects," Leviste added.
