House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City 1st District Rep. Ronaldo Puno urged Batangas City 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste to study the budget process, stating that the younger legislator may not yet fully understand how it actually works.
In a chance interview on Monday, December 29, Puno refuted Leviste’s claims of irregularities regarding the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which Leviste based on the “Cabral files” he has been posting on Facebook.
“Because she (Cabral) was in the planning service of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Kahit sinong tanungin mong planning service sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno, may ganyan…these are the budget submission,” he said.
(Because she (Cabral) was part of the planning service of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). If you ask anyone from the planning service in all government agencies, they will tell you that these are the budget submissions.)
“Again, baka noon lang niya nakita yan, akala niya it was some kind of secret file na can be used in a criminal case,” he added.
(Again, maybe this is the first time he has seen these files, and he mistakenly thinks they are some kind of secret documents that can be used in a criminal case.)
Puno advised lawmakers to fully understand the documents they are examining before making public statements, as it is unfair to those being accused.
This response came after Leviste released a file of the 2025 DPWH budget, allegedly provided to him by Cabral before her death, noting that the documents indicate the alleged proponents involved in anomalous infrastructure projects.
Puno further suggested that while Leviste may have good intentions, he does not fully understand the situation.
“Alam mo, si Cong Leviste, I like the fact that he’s a young congressman na very active and mukhang looking into every corner,” “But you have to study a little bit more, siguro kasi hindi naman yung explanation niya yung totoo eh,” Puno added.
(I appreciate that Congressman Leviste is a young and active member of Congress who is looking into every detail, “But he needs to study a bit more, as his explanation is not accurate.)
He also stated that making sweeping accusations is unjust, pointing out that lawmakers are routinely asked to make recommendations, which should not be equated with wrongdoing.
To recall, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon stated he had not authenticated any documents in Leviste’s possession.
Dizon also mentioned that Cabral had informed him that Leviste forcibly obtained a copy of the files by using a staff member’s computer to save them onto his flash drive.
In response, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said that the sourcing of the documents released by the Batangas representative should be investigated, emphasizing that if evidence is acquired through illegal means, it loses its probative value and becomes meaningless.
