NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
Leviste Unveils 'Cabral Files,' Flags P161B In Unusual DPWH Projects
Photo credit: Leandro Leviste
Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste on Wednesday released what he called the “Cabral Files,” a detailed breakdown of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects under the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) that he said warrant closer public scrutiny.
According to Leviste, the files cover about ₱721 billion worth of DPWH projects listed in the 2025 NEP. These include more than ₱401 billion in projects considered “allocable” to district lawmakers, ₱14 billion proposed by party-list groups, ₱20 billion linked to senators, priority multi-year DPWH projects, and ₱161 billion worth of projects he described as carrying unusual or questionable tags.
The ₱161 billion in flagged projects, which Leviste earlier raised during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, bear labels such as OP (ES/SAP), F1, BINI10, OT 2, LEADERSHIP, and CENTI2025. Most of these projects are for flood control. Leviste pointed to some of the most expensive projects in his own district, including a streetlight program with a reported ₱300 million budget, where units were eventually awarded at prices exceeding ₱230,000 per streetlight.
He noted that more than 90 percent of these tagged projects, or projects with similar characteristics, appear on the DPWH transparency portal, which also lists the contractors awarded the projects in 2025.
Beyond these, Leviste presented a separate list of ₱213 billion worth of DPWH projects funded through Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) in 2023 and 2024. He said the surge in UA-funded DPWH projects in 2024 followed the transfer of ₱167 billion from PhilHealth and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation to the UA fund.
Unlike regular appropriations, Leviste explained that DPWH projects funded through UA are selected by the agency itself rather than by Congress, and are supposed to support projects tied to the President’s Eight-Point Socioeconomic Agenda. Many of these projects, he said, are also flood control-related. As an example from his district, Leviste cited a ₱48 million UA-funded contract for the bleachers of a swimming pool.
Leviste also highlighted what he described as a concerning concentration of contracts. Based on his review, the top 15 contractors involved in the ₱161 billion worth of unusually tagged projects won an estimated 40 percent of the identified contracts. For the ₱213 billion in UA-funded projects, the top 15 contractors accounted for about 30 percent.
He said this pattern mirrors long-standing concerns raised within the DPWH itself about how a small number of contractors appear to win a large share of flood control projects. Contracts awarded at prices very close to their approved budgets, he added, could point to possible issues in the bidding process.
Leviste stressed that, unlike district-allocable projects, the DPWH should be able to explain why these “outside allocable” and UA-funded projects were included in the budget, and who proposed them. While emphasizing that he is not accusing anyone of corruption, he said greater transparency is needed to determine who ultimately benefited from these allocations.
Toward the end of his presentation, Leviste revealed another document titled “List of Edwin Gardiola’s DPWH Projects as of August 28, 2025,” which he said was provided by a DPWH whistleblower. The document lists about ₱22 billion worth of projects allegedly included in the budget through the NEP, UA, and the bicameral process from 2023 to 2025.
Although the document has yet to be officially verified by the DPWH, Leviste said it appears consistent with other agency records. He is now asking the DPWH to confirm its authenticity, especially since many of the listed projects were reportedly awarded to companies owned by the family of Congressman Edwin Gardiola, based on existing DPWH data.
If the document proves accurate, Leviste said it raises key questions, including why such information has not been used to build cases and whether the DPWH already maintains detailed records of project proponents across the entire budget process that could be disclosed to the public.
According to Leviste, the files cover about ₱721 billion worth of DPWH projects listed in the 2025 NEP. These include more than ₱401 billion in projects considered “allocable” to district lawmakers, ₱14 billion proposed by party-list groups, ₱20 billion linked to senators, priority multi-year DPWH projects, and ₱161 billion worth of projects he described as carrying unusual or questionable tags.
The ₱161 billion in flagged projects, which Leviste earlier raised during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, bear labels such as OP (ES/SAP), F1, BINI10, OT 2, LEADERSHIP, and CENTI2025. Most of these projects are for flood control. Leviste pointed to some of the most expensive projects in his own district, including a streetlight program with a reported ₱300 million budget, where units were eventually awarded at prices exceeding ₱230,000 per streetlight.
He noted that more than 90 percent of these tagged projects, or projects with similar characteristics, appear on the DPWH transparency portal, which also lists the contractors awarded the projects in 2025.
Beyond these, Leviste presented a separate list of ₱213 billion worth of DPWH projects funded through Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) in 2023 and 2024. He said the surge in UA-funded DPWH projects in 2024 followed the transfer of ₱167 billion from PhilHealth and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation to the UA fund.
Unlike regular appropriations, Leviste explained that DPWH projects funded through UA are selected by the agency itself rather than by Congress, and are supposed to support projects tied to the President’s Eight-Point Socioeconomic Agenda. Many of these projects, he said, are also flood control-related. As an example from his district, Leviste cited a ₱48 million UA-funded contract for the bleachers of a swimming pool.
Leviste also highlighted what he described as a concerning concentration of contracts. Based on his review, the top 15 contractors involved in the ₱161 billion worth of unusually tagged projects won an estimated 40 percent of the identified contracts. For the ₱213 billion in UA-funded projects, the top 15 contractors accounted for about 30 percent.
He said this pattern mirrors long-standing concerns raised within the DPWH itself about how a small number of contractors appear to win a large share of flood control projects. Contracts awarded at prices very close to their approved budgets, he added, could point to possible issues in the bidding process.
Leviste stressed that, unlike district-allocable projects, the DPWH should be able to explain why these “outside allocable” and UA-funded projects were included in the budget, and who proposed them. While emphasizing that he is not accusing anyone of corruption, he said greater transparency is needed to determine who ultimately benefited from these allocations.
Toward the end of his presentation, Leviste revealed another document titled “List of Edwin Gardiola’s DPWH Projects as of August 28, 2025,” which he said was provided by a DPWH whistleblower. The document lists about ₱22 billion worth of projects allegedly included in the budget through the NEP, UA, and the bicameral process from 2023 to 2025.
Although the document has yet to be officially verified by the DPWH, Leviste said it appears consistent with other agency records. He is now asking the DPWH to confirm its authenticity, especially since many of the listed projects were reportedly awarded to companies owned by the family of Congressman Edwin Gardiola, based on existing DPWH data.
If the document proves accurate, Leviste said it raises key questions, including why such information has not been used to build cases and whether the DPWH already maintains detailed records of project proponents across the entire budget process that could be disclosed to the public.
Jan 21, 2026
We are dedicated storytellers with a passion for bringing your brand to life. Our services range from news and media features to brand promotion and collaborations.
Interested? Visit our
Contact Us page for more information. To learn more about what we offer, check out our latest article on services and opportunities.
