Congressman Leandro Legarda Leviste filed a case against Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo for Direct Bribery, Corruption of Public Officials, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices, and violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, at the Office of the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor.
“This goes beyond a P3.1 million bribe, but rather up to over P300 million annually of SOPs or kickbacks from DPWH projects reserved for a Congressman of the First District of Batangas,” Leviste said.
“Contractors were willing to give me 5% to 10% of the P3.6 billion in the district’s projects.”
According to legislator’s sworn statement, Calalo reportedly explained that contractors were willing to give him 5% to 10% of the P3.6 billion in the district’s projects, equivalent to P180 million to P360 million, as “support” for his educational programs.
The lawmaker detailed that one contractor was reportedly prepared to withdraw an initial P15 million, while the P3.1 million presented by Calalo represented 3% of a P104 million project, with a receipt and computation included with the cash.
According to Leviste, Calalo described to him how projects were awarded without genuine bidding in the First District of Batangas, where contractors are allegedly handpicked by a sitting congressman in exchange for kickbacks.
Calalo also identified major contractors and named those who supposedly influenced project bidding and implementation during the tenure of a previous First District Representative.
“Over three years, the total kickbacks reserved for a Congressman of the First District of Batangas could exceed one billion pesos.”
“If I had agreed, meetings with contractors would have taken place this week, potentially generating hundreds of millions of pesos in kickbacks from 2025 projects. Over three years, the total kickbacks reserved for a Congressman of the First District of Batangas could exceed one billion pesos,” Leviste said.
He emphasized that others may bear greater responsibility than the District Engineer.
Leviste encouraged Calalo and other current or former DPWH employees or contractors to become state witnesses to hold accountable those who allegedly benefited more from this system of corruption.
“Because I will never accept kickbacks, I will insist that all projects in the First District of Batangas be implemented properly,” he stressed.
“We will continue auditing DPWH projects in the district, not just flood control projects, and ensure that any defective work is corrected without additional cost to the government,” Leviste concluded.
