Bicol-Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has denied allegations that he was behind a supposed P150 million road project insertion in Camarines Sur for the 2025 national budget, calling the claim “false” and “fake news.”

In an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Ridon responded to earlier remarks by Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro 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.

“Hindi yun totoo. Kasi paano ako magkakaroon ng insertions kung hindi pa ako congressman noong 2024? At kababalik ko lang po ng 2025. So yun po ‘yong una kailangan mo natin linawin. Kasi hindi po ‘yon totoo,” the congressman explained

Asked whether he had checked if the Bicol-Saro Party-list was linked to a P150 million road project in Camarines Sur, Ridon said he could not confirm the existence of such projects, noting that Leviste has yet to release the full list of alleged insertions.

He challenged Leviste to disclose the entire document, saying selective disclosure raises questions about credibility.

“At this point, sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung totoo o hindi yung pong sinasabi po niyang mga road projects. Kasi nga, ang panawagan sa kanya, where is the entire list?” Ridon said.

“Are you making a selective disclosure here? At ako pa yung pinapangalanan at fine-fake news mo?” he added.

Ridon emphasized that there is strong public interest in seeing the complete list, especially since Leviste himself claimed it contains the names of congressmen, senators, executive officials outside the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and even private individuals.

He further noted that the list had supposedly been in the possession of the late former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral as early as September, raising concerns about how the documents can now be authenticated.

Moving forward, Ridon said attention should be focused on the DPWH, which has committed to turning over all related files to the Office of the Ombudsman following the issuance of a subpoena.