Clavano: Leviste refused to show complete 'Cabral files' to Ombudsman

Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste did not present the complete set of computer files of the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to the Office of the Ombudsman, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Monday.

Clavano issued the statement in a video message to respond to Leviste’s public claims that he had shown the so-called Cabral files—parts of which Leviste later publicly disclosed—to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla before Cabral’s sudden death on December 18, following an apparent fall into a ravine in Benguet.

“After Congressman Leviste publicly claimed to possess the complete list in the supposed Cabral files, investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman approached him as a matter of prudence and diligence while former Undersecretary Cabral was still alive and was already represented by counsel at that time,” Clavano said.

“During this engagement, Congressman Leviste presented only limited portions of the list, responsive, in fairness, to specific inquiries. However, he did not present the entire set of files he claimed to possess, even when asked to do so,” he added.

Clavano said this contrasts with Leviste’s public statements suggesting that the full Cabral files had already been shown to or reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Meanwhile, Clavano said the Ombudsman is now in custody of Cabral's CPU (personal computer) and is preparing it for forensic examination.

“The Office considers this a critical development as it allows the investigation to proceed on the basis of an original digital piece of evidence,” he said.

“The Office is preparing to conduct a digital forensic examination of the former undersecretary’s CPU. This will be done transparently and in coordination with the Commission on Audit, the DPWH, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group,” Clavano said.

“This is to ensure the integrity of the entire process,” he added.

Clavano also stressed that the so-called "Cabral files" are not the sole basis of the Ombudsman’s investigation into alleged anomalous flood control projects, noting that the files themselves remain subject to verification and possible manipulation.

“The Office of the Ombudsman has been approached by multiple sources claiming to possess copies of the supposed Cabral files. These claims underscore the importance of distinguishing between original evidence and secondary or third-party copies,” he said.

He said the most reliable sources of documents are the agencies and individuals who had custody, control, or authorship of the computers, storage devices, and files themselves.

"Evidence derived directly from these sources naturally carries far greater evidentiary value than copies circulating outside official custody,” Clavano said.

He warned that files held by third parties—especially those in Word or Excel format—“inherently lose evidentiary credibility as they are susceptible to alteration, incomplete context, or manipulation.”

“The Cabral files are only one part of the investigation. Alleged insertions that supposedly appear in these files still need to be carefully examined to determine whether the projects were actually implemented or if they turned out to be ghost projects,” Clavano said.

He also clarified that a fund insertion by itself is not automatically illegal.

"It becomes criminal only if it is proven to involve fraud, misuse of public funds, or non-existent projects,” he added.

In response, Leviste maintained that he had been forthcoming and had shown all the Cabral files to Ombudsman personnel.

Leviste said he met with Ombudsman personnel on November 26, prior to the turnover by the DPWH of the Cabral files to the Office of the Ombudsman on December 23.

“I would like to correct his statement that I did not present the entire set of files I claimed to possess, even when asked to do so. The members of their team who attended our meeting are listed below, and Assistant Ombudsman Clavano was not part of it," Leviste said in a statement.

"It would therefore be best for those who were present at the meeting to speak for themselves,” he added.

According to Leviste, he presented in that meeting with a team from the Ombudsman both the DPWH summary and the Excel spreadsheet of the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which supposedly ran from around 9:10 a.m. to 12 noon.

"I invited the Ombudsman team to go through the files further, but they did not seem particularly interested. Their questions during the meeting were focused more on projects linked to Congressman Edwin Gardiola—the agenda of our meeting as stated in their letter—while I was the one pointing out files that I believed would be helpful to their investigations," Leviste said.

"The team appeared more focused on their assignment to build a case against Congressman Gardiola,” he added.

The Batangas lawmaker said he nevertheless again attempted to get Ombudsman personnel to examine the Cabral files in greater detail, but to no avail.

“The Ombudsman field investigation team even said—if they are allowed to attest—that this was the first time in their decades of work that a member of Congress had reached out to volunteer evidence," Leviste said.

"We invited them to return at another time, but they did not get back to us after the meeting. The meeting was initially postponed, but I asked that it push through on the original date because I wanted to help the Ombudsman’s investigations as much as possible,” he said.

Leviste further reiterated that his copy of the Cabral files had not been manipulated.

“I believe the simple solution would be to publicly compare the files I have with those reportedly in the possession of Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson and Bilyonaryo News Channel," he said.

"I have not given the files to anyone, so if Senator Lacson, Bilyonaryo, and others have files that—based on media reports—align with mine, that would support the authenticity of the documents,” Leviste added.—MCG, GMA Integrated News