MANILA, Philippines — Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has urged authorities to dig deeper into what he says may be troubling links between CWS Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola and billions of pesos worth of infrastructure projects listed in the proposed 2025 national budget.
At a press conference on Wednesday, November 19, Leviste unveiled documents purportedly handed to him by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral. The tables allegedly outline infrastructure items that Gardiola “pre-ordered” from the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP)—projects Leviste estimates to be worth around P22 billion.
While careful to say the documents do not yet constitute proof of collusion, Leviste stressed that the patterns seen in the listings raise “serious questions” about how certain projects eventually landed in the hands of construction firms he claims are closely associated with Gardiola. The congressman said the information amounts to “strong evidence” suggesting a possible scheme enabling lawmakers to financially benefit from government allocations.
According to Leviste, the alleged process involved Gardiola or his intermediaries approaching DPWH officials to request specific projects that would later be awarded to companies linked to him. Because the NEP contains only executive-approved agency proposals, he said the consistency of the patterns is “alarming.”
In Batangas alone, Leviste said he traced P794 million worth of projects awarded to Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and S-Ang Construction and General Trading Inc.—firms he claims have ties to Gardiola. He added that another P280 million worth of infrastructure in the province went to contractors reportedly connected to the party-list lawmaker.
The documents he presented also listed projects in Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Negros Oriental, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan, many involving road construction. Leviste believes a substantial share of these allocations may have gone to companies allegedly associated with Gardiola—who, he noted, may have stayed under the radar because these firms are not registered under his name.
On November 18, Leviste visited the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to request a full review. ICI officials, he said, told him that Gardiola ranked as the “second top contractor” in their initial assessment.
Leviste further claimed that Gardiola tried reaching out through another lawmaker, asking him not to pursue the allegations—an overture Gardiola allegedly coupled with a denial of wrongdoing and a proposal to speak with House Speaker Ferdinand “Bojie” Dy.
Ultimately, Leviste said the DPWH and Congress must release detailed information on project proponents to verify the documents and determine whether any collusion took place.| – BNN Integrated News
