MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it will seek the Office of the Ombudsman’s permission to make public the so-called “Cabral files,” nearly a month after the death of former undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the documents, which reportedly contain proponents of budget requests and district allocables over past years, are currently under the Ombudsman’s custody after being turned over in compliance with a subpoena on December 23, 2025.

“As far as I’m concerned, all of these should be made public,” he said at a press conference.

Dizon added that the Ombudsman will decide how the files will be handled after law enforcement agencies conduct a forensic audit to determine whether any were tampered with.

“I promise you, I will ask the Ombudsman this. If the Ombudsman says, ‘Fine, okay,’ then no problem here,” he said.

The DPWH chief also announced the designation of Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe as the agency’s official spokesperson for all legal questions and issues.

“So my response to anyone who requests these files is that I will first inform the Office of the Ombudsman, because they are now the ones with custody of them,” Dizon said in Filipino.

Dizon said the first step is to establish the contents of Cabral’s files on the preparation of the DPWH budget before comparing them with documents disclosed by Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas), who claims to have obtained official DPWH records showing alleged budget proponents.

The files reportedly include district-level figures generated under Cabral’s “parametric formula,” amounts later “restored” after alleged Congressional adjustments at the National Expenditure Program stage, and budget requests with some insertions outside the set “allocables.”

“‘Yung pagkuha ng files, na nakita niyo naman na nilabas ng dating staff ni dating undersecretary Cabral at ‘yung pagkuha ng files sa isang computer, walang basbas sa akin ‘yun. Uulitin ko ‘yun. Paulit-ulit ko sasabihin ‘yun,” Dizon said.

(The way the files were taken, which you saw was shown by the former staff of former undersecretary Cabral, and the taking of files from a computer, was done without my approval. I will repeat that. I will say it over and over again.)

He added that he only authorized the release of “allocations per district,” which can be found in the National Expenditure Program and the General Appropriations Act.

Leviste is also under scrutiny over how he obtained the files. Some DPWH officials claim he forcibly took the documents from Cabral’s office and the agency’s computer, while the congressman maintains he had authorization from both Cabral and Dizon.

Cabral’s legal counsel confirmed that the late undersecretary did not explain how Leviste acquired the documents.

“On that note, it is now up to the ombudsman and our law enforcement agencies to establish the veracity of these files and the authenticity of these files,” Dizon said.

Despite ongoing controversies, Dizon said the DPWH still expects proposals for roads, bridges, classrooms, hospitals, and other infrastructure projects as it prepares the 2027 budget.

“But I think the only issue with the past is there are questions as to the veracity of those lists. That’s why they are now the subject of the investigation,” he added.

“So let me talk to the Ombudsman about it. I, personally, have no issue with it. In fact, all documents should be disclosed,” Dizon said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Regarding the 2026 budget documents, he said he will confirm with the planning division whether a list of district allocables or requests exists. “If there’s a list with planning, I don’t think there’s an issue there,” he said.

The DPWH also announced plans to revamp how the agency prepares, monitors, and implements its budget with help from civil society groups to ensure transparency. It will develop a new formula for allocating infrastructure budgets and confirmed it will scrap the parametric formula that previously allowed district allocables.