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Philstar.com
December 31, 2025 | 11:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Since December 26, Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas) has held press conferences and given multiple media interviews alleging systemic budget manipulation, including the use of project allocations as leverage over members of Congress during budget deliberations
The following are his allegations listed point-by-point.
Allegation 1: DPWH allocations exceed the P401.3-billion 'allocable' budget
Leviste alleged that House members receive project allocations beyond the officially acknowledged P401.3 billion “allocable” budget for DPWH projects.
During his December 26 press conference, he presented documents showing that lawmakers were asked to submit projects before the period for congressional amendments to the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
He presented a June 10 message sent to congressional chiefs of staff requesting submissions for FY 2026 projects, listing fixed amounts per lawmaker:
- P150 million infrastructure for district representatives
- P160 million infrastructure for party-list representatives
- P30 million “soft projects” for both
These project lists later appeared in the NEP ahead of formal amendments, Leviste said.
“If public funds are being used as so-called ‘incentives’ for congressmen before voting on the 2026 budget, the public should at least know the ‘allocables’ or ‘incentives’ each congressman gets, whether from DPWH, DOH, DSWD, DOLE, DA, NIA, DepEd, or any other government agency.”
“The public deserves to know this before Congress ratifies the 2026 budget next week,” he added.
The response: Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the president's office will only response to document authenticated with verified facts. She also dismissed Leviste's allegations as "hearsay" that are "without probative value."
Allegation 2: Budget allocations used as leverage, to silence criticism
Leviste said that while he was holding a press briefing on October 16 criticizing DPWH contractor-appointees, he received a call from a senior DPWH official allegedly speaking on behalf of Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.
He said the call focused on his district’s budget: “Ang pinag-usapan sa telepono ay ang budget ng distrito ko.”
Leviste added: “Ayaw ko naman na maapektuhan ang budget ng distrito ko dahil sa ginagawa ko ngayon, pero ako po ay nagtitiwala dahil tama naman na malaman ng publiko ang budget ng bawat distrito."
(I would rather not have the budget for my district affected because of what I'm doing now, but I trust that since it is right for the public to know each district's budget."
Leviste disclosed that the caller allegedly offered an increase in funding for classrooms in his district. “I’m asking for extra budget for classrooms in the first district of Batangas. And on the phone, I was told, we will give you extra budget for your district.”
When asked directly during the press conference whether he considered this a bribe, Leviste replied: “Exactly.”
He argued that the timing of the call itself was revealing. He said: “The fact na tinawagan ako tungkol sa budget ng distrito ko sa gitna ng ating presscon alone is proof na ang budget ay ina-allocate din for purposes other than the need of the districts, at minsan ito nga din ay ginagamit bilang leverage over members of Congress.”
He added: “If you read between the lines, that means you don’t question our budget, and we’ll give you your budget.”
Allegation 3: Secret 'incentive' allocations before budget votes
Leviste claimed that lawmakers were shown undocumented incentive allocations shortly before key budget votes.
He presented a supposed screenshot of a chat group where lawmakers are allegedly being shown a list from a staff member of the House appropriations chair, Mikaela Suansing, which itemized supposed “incentives” totaling P151 million, including:
- P21 million through DOH MAIP
- P25 million through DOLE TUPAD/GIP
- P25 million through DSWD AICS
- P30 million through DA farm-to-market roads
- P25 million through items labeled “Others”
- P25 miillion through DPWH
Leviste claimed the staffer told him, “This is your incentive,” about a week before the budget vote. He said he questioned why the allocation was being offered secretly prior to voting.
The response: Rep. Suansing (Nueva Ecijaa), who heads the House appropriations panel and at the bicameral conference committee, denied offering budget incentives to legislators. She said House members have the freedom to propose projects and that she does not condition budget support on their voting behavior.
Allegation 4: The system disadvantages certain regions
Beyond individual incidents, Leviste argued that the DPWH budget allocation system lacks logic and fairness.
“My argument from the beginning—also publicly stated—is that there should be logic behind the budget allocation. And the current system disadvantages certain regions.”
He said his proposal was not merely about his own district: “Dagdagan ng budget ang distrito ko at ng ibang mga distrito na disadvantaged sa current system sa buong bansa.”
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What remains unresolved. The DPWH leadership as well as lawmakers involved in approving the proposed General Appropriations Bill prior to its ratification on Monday, December 29, have denied allegations of improper budget leverage.
While the Palace has declined to authenticate documents Leviste prsented without DPWH verification, the agency has not defined whether congressional proposals and "allocables" constitute legitimate parts of the budget-setting process or improper insertions.
Timing, motives questioned
DPWH raised doubts over the timing of the Batangas representative's claims, which came after he is accused of illegally taking the files of the late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral, for which he might face an House ethics committee investigation. Cabral's documents, Leviste said, contained specifics on questionable budget allocations legislators made through the agency.
“His stealing files from her computer, it has no imprimatur. His scuffle with Cabral while trying to snatch some papers, it has no imprimatur,” Dizon said. “Why would I give that imprimatur?”
His office also denied Leviste's accusations that Dizon himself benefited from budget insertions supposedly for flood control projects when he was still head of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority during the Duterte administration.
“Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon categorically denies the baseless and malicious allegations made by Rep. Leandro Leviste regarding supposed ‘insertions’ or ‘allocables’,” the DPWH said in a statement Tuesday.
