Leviste presses Dizon to authenticate list amid doubts
Malacañang yesterday said that the real source of the so-called “Cabral Files,” which Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste claims was handed to him by the late Public Works Undersecretary Cathy Cabral, must be ascertained in view of information to the contrary.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said an investigation into how documents came to the lawmaker’s possession is in order, as reports from within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) indicate that they were obtained from the agency’s staff, not directly from Cabral.
In a radio interview, the Palace spokesperson said in Filipino, “Because I heard, [the documents were obtained] from the staff. And if it turns out they came from the staff, [therefore] they didn’t come from Usec. Cabral.”
“[It should be investigated] because DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon himself is wondering how they were obtained. Because what’s important here is how files were obtained from the staff?” Castro told DZBB.
On Friday, Dizon claimed that he had not authenticated any documents in Leviste’s possession.
The incumbent public works secretary also mentioned that Cabral informed him that Leviste had forcibly obtained a copy of the files by using a staff member’s computer to save them onto his flash drive.
On December 24, Leviste, on his Facebook account, released pages of the supposed “Cabral Files,” which detailed insertions made in the DPWH’s 2025 budget, purportedly provided to him by the former undersecretary before her death from falling down a ravine.
Leviste stated that sometime in September, Cabral provided him with a copy of certain documents after Dizon assumed the role of Secretary of the DPWH.
However, Castro pointed out that if evidence is acquired through illegal means, it loses its probative value and becomes meaningless.
For his part, Leviste urged Dizon to attest to the authenticity of the documents he released online
“I am giving the DPWH a few days to authenticate the documents I have uploaded on Facebook as a test if they would lie, (they have something to) hide, or (they would) admit the truth. So we could see if they really do not want to make the files public,” the Batangas solon said in a Facebook post.
“Here is my attached Oct. 1 email to Sec Vince confirming ‘FY 2025 DPWH Budget.pdf’ and the Oct. 20 email of DPWH where they sent me the ‘FY 2026 DPWH HGAB summary by DEO_LD.pdf’ as per the instruction of Sec. Vince Dizon, with the signature of Sec Vince,” Leviste noted, as he sought to show proof of his communications with the DPWH chief.
In a statement released late Sunday evening, former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin strongly denied insinuations that he was among the recipients of kickbacks in the alleged documents.
“I am aghast and outraged at the insinuation that the tag ‘ES’ found in the so-called ‘Cabral Files’ pertained to me as the then Executive Secretary to whom was allocated P8.3 billion worth of DPWH projects under the GAA 2025,” he said.
“I empathically state that I did not ever request, endorse, approve or authorize any DPWH project or budget allocation at any stage of the budget process,” Bersamin added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Source of Leviste’s ‘Cabral files’ should be verified — Castro”
