Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste admitted that his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, made insertions in the national budget, based on a list he said he obtained from the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral.
“I can say, nandiyan. Tinanong ko siya at sinabi niya, hindi naman niya alam iyong mga nakalista diyan at sa mga senator actually pinakamaliit ang sa kanya,” Leviste said in a radio interview with DZRH’s Anthony Taberna.
“Pero tinanong ko siya talaga at sabi niya, hindi niya alam ang mga ito. Pero kinukumpirma ko po na lahat ng tiningnan ko ay nandiyan sa listahan,” he added.
Taberna asked Leviste, “Meron akong sariling listahan, I would like to confirm… na ang inyo pong ina na si Sen. Loren Legarda ang may pinakamaliit, na isang bilyon ang kanyang insertion sa 2025 budget?”
Leviste replied, “Yung listahan n’yo po na meron akong kopya na mula sa ibang source ay yung bicam insertions. Ang nasa bicam na insertion ng mga senators ay nasa 120 billion pesos sa 2025 DPWH budget. On average mga 5-6 billion per senator. Sa net naman, baka mga average of 1 billion per senator. Pero kung ano yung average, yung mommy ko, ay mas mababa po…”
Leviste claimed that Cabral handed him the list with the permission of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, who he said was on the phone at the time.
However, a Reddit post alleged that the lawmaker barged into the DPWH official’s office and forcibly took documents from her hands.
The lawmaker’s alleged action resulted in a paper cut on Cabral’s finger, which was visible when she attended a congressional hearing the following day. Cabral had earlier resigned after she was implicated in the flood control scandal.
The post has resurfaced on social media following the recently reported death of Cabral, who reportedly fell into a ravine along Kennon Road on Thursday. Cabral’s identity was confirmed through a DNA test, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Interview with Rep. Leviste at 55:10
