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September 15, 2025 | 5:23pm
Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas, 1st District) files his reply affidavit on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in the bribery case he filed against Batangas First District Engineer Abelardo Calalo.
Lingkod Legarda Leviste via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas, 1st District) has filed his response to the counter-affidavit of Batangas district engineer Abelardo Calalo, who allegedly attempted to bribe him to stop investigations into the province’s infrastructure projects.
The neophyte lawmaker filed his reply affidavit on Monday, September 15, adding more cases against Calalo and including TopTech Trading & Construction Co. Inc., the contractor linked to the three public works projects from which the alleged P3.12 million initial payment originated.
Calalo had submitted a counter-affidavit on September 5, after Leviste filed bribery and graft charges against him for allegedly “donating” a 3% initial payment to the lawmaker.
In his counter-affidavit, the district engineer argued that he only offered “donations” from contractors to Leviste, insisting he did not bribe the lawmaker. He even called the lawmaker’s claims a “twisting of truth.”
Leviste, however, contended that the so-called donations are merely a facade to the alleged bribery.
“What Engineer Calalo referred to as a ‘donation’ included a piece of paper that said the P3,126,900.00 cash was 3% of the P104,230,000.00 price of 3 contracts awarded by DPWH to TopTech Trading & Construction Co. Inc,” Leviste said in a statement.
The contractor. TopTech is reportedly owned by spouses Elrey Jose Noche and Marciana Noche, who are now respondents in the bribery charges filed by the lawmaker before the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.
In an affidavit overview furnished to Philstar.com, Leviste further stressed that the so-called "donation" is far from "abstract" as it appears to be a "commission" from the government contracts won by TopTech.
He added that Calalo's participation is how he was a public officer who "solicited, collected and attempted delivery" of the share.
Leviste appealed to the prosecutor to issue subpoenas against the Noches to file their counter-affidavits.
RELATED: Leviste says Batangas engineer’s defense confirms bribery
Other unmentioned events. While not specifying the other contractors, Leviste explained that he mentioned in his sworn statements the discussion he and Calalo had about the alleged contractors who were willing to offer him a 5-10% kickback from P3.6 billion worth of projects.
Calalo did not disclose this, including the alleged P15 million Leviste said another contractor was ready to give, in his counter-affidavit.
“There seem to be vested interests who want to cover up the system of kickbacks for DPWH projects in Batangas, and the bag that Engineer Calalo brought with him on August 22 is just the tip of the iceberg,” Leviste said.
“The defenses invoked by Respondent Calalo are unavailing. His claims of instigation, lack of acceptance, and mere donation are self-serving, directly contradicted by his own admissions, the physical evidence and corroborating documents,” he said in his reply affidavit.
Leviste earlier recommended that Calalo be made a state witness in the probe into alleged corruption in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects.
RELATED: No real DPWH bidding in Batangas district, engineer tells Leviste
