MANILA — Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste denied allegations that he obtained the so-called “Cabral files” through illegal means, asserting that he received the documents with the approval of Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.

In a Facebook post, Leviste said he was given the files on September 4 and thanked the DPWH for confirming their authenticity. “I vehemently deny any allegation that I illegally obtained files from DPWH and also thank them for confirming the authenticity of the files that were given to me on September 4 with the approval of Sec Vince,” he said.

He questioned the timing of the allegations, noting that the DPWH raised the issue months after he obtained the documents. “The timing of the DPWH saying this now about an event months ago is suspect, and only raises questions on why DPWH doesn’t just release all the files if there’s nothing to hide,” he added.

The controversy arose after a television report showed CCTV footage of Leviste entering the office of the late DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral last September. A staff member of Cabral’s office accused Leviste of forcefully obtaining and copying agency budget documents. Cabral died on December 18 after falling into a 30-meter ravine in Benguet, and authorities are investigating the circumstances of her death.

Leviste urged the DPWH and Congress to focus on investigating alleged corruption in the department, citing other officials and contractors linked to questionable projects.

Meanwhile, Dizon denied the Batangas lawmaker’s claims regarding supposed budget insertions or “allocables,” calling them “baseless and malicious.”

Leviste had alleged that Dizon was linked to anomalies in a flood control project under the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), which the secretary previously led. Dizon said the BCDA has “no flood control projects that are funded through budget insertions, ‘allocable funds’ or any discretionary source.”

“Any claims of ‘allocable’ or discretionary funding for such purposes are baseless and false,” Dizon said, questioning the timing of Leviste’s allegations and the reports regarding the files taken from Cabral.