Castro: Probe should be done into how 'Cabral files' were sourced

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Sunday said an investigation should be done to determine how the so-called Cabral files were sourced.

"Yes, sa aking palagay (dapat imbestigahan) kasi kay (Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon nagmula ang mga salita na ito at kung paano nga ba nakuha 'yun. Kasi ang importante dito, paano nga ba nakuha ang anumang files mula sa staff?" Castro said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(In my opinion, this should be investigated because it was Secretary Vince Dizon himself who revealed how these were sourced. What is important is how were any files taken from staff?)

"Kasi maliwanag, narinig ko sa balita, mula sa staff (ang mga dokumento). Parang ganu'n 'yung dating. At lumalabas, kung sa staff galing, mukhang hindi galing kay (former DPWH) Usec. (Maria Catalina) Cabral," she added.

(Because it is clear, I heard it on the news, the documents were from the staff. That's how it seemed to be. And if that is so, if the documents are from the staff, then these did not come from Usec. Cabral.)

Castro was referring to documents released by Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste on Wednesday, which he said was the summary file of the 2025 DPWH budget supposedly provided to him by Cabral prior to her death.

Leviste shared the lengthy list of projects per congressional district on his Facebook account.

He said that the summary file contains the “allocable” or the budget allocated to DPWH projects in certain districts, totalling to P401.3 billion. This supposedly ballooned to P1.041 trillion because of the “outside allocable,” he added. 

Leviste previously said he was given a copy of the computer files by Cabral in September, while she was still the DPWH undersecretary for planning and public-private partnerships, and after Dizon took over as DPWH secretary.

Dizon however on Friday said that he has not authenticated any document in the possession of Leviste.

"For the record, wala akong ina-authenticate na dokumento na hawak ni Cong. dahil wala akong, hindi ko nakikita kung anong sinasabi niyang dokumento. So paano ko maa-authenticate 'yon?" Dizon told GMA Integrated News in a phone interview.

(For the record, I have not authenticated any document in the possession of Cong. [Leviste], because I have yet to see the documents he was talking about. So how can I authenticate them?)

Dizon said Cabral told him that Leviste forcibly got a copy of the files by using the computer of a staff member and saved them to his flash drive.

"Kung ganu'n nga ang nangyari, anu-anong files ang na-transfer? Anu-anong files ang na-authenticate?" Castro said.

(If that's what happened, what files were transferred? What files were authenticated?)

"At ang sabi ni Sec. Vince, hindi pa niya nakita 'yung document na sinasabi ni Cong. Leviste. So kung hindi pa niya nakikita, papaano niya maa-authenticate?" she added.

(And Sec. Vince said he has not seen the document mentioned by Cong. Leviste. So if he has not seen them, how can he authenticate them?)

Castro then mentioned what Senator Rodante Marcoleta said in another interview. "It will just be considered as speculation at tsismis at maaaring makagulo pa. Pero kung ito ay totoo, makakatulong," she added.

(These will just be considered as speculation and gossip and can even be confusing. But if these are true, it can be helpful.)

Castro pointed out that if evidence is acquired through illegal means, it loses its probative value and becomes meaningless.

“Lahat naman tayo ay gusto ng katotohanan. Kung katotohanan lang din ang gusto natin, agad-agad mo nang ipakita. 'Wag nang patumpik-tumpik, magpapa-delay na ipakita ito,” she said. 

(We all want the truth.  If you want the truth, then show it right away. Don’t hesitate or delay in presenting it.)

GMA News Online has contacted Leviste and will update this article once he issues a statement.

Investigation is ongoing into anomalies in flood control projects and Cabral was one of those being probed. 

However, Cabral was declared dead early December 19 after her body was found beside the Bued River in Tuba, Benguet, 20 to 30 meters below Kennon Road.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) was supposed to refer to the Ombudsman a plunder case that involved Cabral in relation to the alleged anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan before her death.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said the case, which was set for referral for evaluation to the Office of the Ombudsman, involves some DPWH officials in the province, as well as proponents who may have benefited from the projects. —with a report from Mariel Celine Serquiña/KG, GMA Integrated News