MANILA — Malacañang clarified that the verification of documents allegedly linking the Office of the President (OP) to P8 billion worth of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects rests with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, responding to claims made by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, referred to the disputed papers—previously called the “Cabral files”—as the “Leviste Files.” She said many versions of the documents are circulating, some with annotations or Cabinet officials’ names, and stressed that unverified documents cannot be considered conclusive evidence.

“The authentication of the ‘Leviste files’ is now in the hands of the Office of the Ombudsman. Documents held by others that may be edited cannot be considered conclusive evidence,” Castro said. She added that stories without verified documents “will remain mere speculation.”

Leviste had claimed in a Facebook post that 75 DPWH projects with a combined budget of P8 billion were tagged as being proposed by the OP through the Executive Secretary or the Special Assistant to the President.

Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. denied the allegations, saying the Office of the Special Assistant to the President has no authority over DPWH’s internal budget and plays no role in identifying or implementing infrastructure projects.

Castro also stressed that it is Leviste’s responsibility to prove the authenticity of the documents he claims to have obtained from the late DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, who died in a fall near Kennon Road in Benguet on Dec. 18.

“Why should he shift the burden of proof to others? Before anyone accuses someone, they should substantiate their claims with verified facts and documents,” Castro said.

Leviste earlier released a summary of DPWH budget allocations from 2023 to 2026 totaling around P3.5 trillion. He said the figures, covering capital outlays for local projects, came from DPWH files with approval from Secretary Vince Dizon and aligned with other DPWH budget summaries.

The data showed Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol as the top regional recipients, while the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao received the least. District-level allocations include Taguig 1st District at P18.43 billion, Quezon City 4th District at P14.17 billion, and Albay 2nd District at P44.10 billion.

Leviste said the release promotes transparency and clarified that large allocations do not automatically benefit individual lawmakers. He also addressed a dispute with Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who denied any insertion of projects in Camarines Sur. Leviste later clarified that his earlier statements referred to the party-list, not Ridon personally, and called for a Public Accounts Committee hearing on the matter.

The Palace reiterated that authentication and investigation of the files are the responsibility of the Ombudsman.