Rep. Leandro Leviste files raps vs DPWH district engineer for alleged bribe try

Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste on Tuesday filed a complaint against a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer after he allegedly tried to dissuade him from launching a probe into anomalous projects.

In a press briefing, Leviste said he filed a complaint against DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer (DE) Abelardo Calalo for direct bribery, corruption of public officials, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials with the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Leviste said that Calalo brought the bribe from a contractor. 

“Hindi lang po ito tungkol sa mahigit na P3 million na suhol, kung hindi tungkol sa umaabot na mahigit P300 million kada taon na SOP o standard operating procedure or kickbacks mula sa mga proyekto ng DPWH na nakalaan umano para sa congressman ng unang distrito ng Batangas taon-taon,” he said.  

(This is not only about the more than P3 million bribe, but about the more than P300 million per year in SOP or standard operating procedure or kickbacks from DPWH projects allegedly allocated for the congressman of the first district of Batangas every year.)

Citing his sworn statement, Leviste said that there has been no bidding for DPWH projects in the 1st District of Batangas.

“Pinipili lang daw ng congressman ang contractor na nagbibigay ng SOP. Pinangalanan din ni DE sa akin ang mga pinakamalalaking mga contractor sa unang distrito ng Batangas, kung sino ang mga taong nagpasok at pumipili sa kanila para manalo sa bidding nu'ng panahon ng dating congressman,” he said.

(It is said that the congressman only chooses the contractor who gives SOP. DE also gave me the names of the biggest contractors in the first district of Batangas and the people that brought them in and chose them to win the bidding during the time of the former congressman.)

“Kung nag-agree ako kay DE, ngayong linggo ay ime-meet na sana namin ang mga contractor at makakapagbigay na po sila ng milyon-milyong pisong DPWH kickbacks mula sa 2025 projects na na-award na,” he added.

(If I had agreed with DE, this week we would have already met with the contractors and they would have been able to give millions of pesos in DPWH kickbacks from the 2025 projects that had already been awarded.)

Leviste said that the kickbacks allotted for the representative of the 1st District may have reached P1 billion in three years.

He stressed that this means that there are other individuals who should have more accountability than the district engineers. 

“Kaya po binabanggit na merong ibang tao na mas may kasalanan kaysa sa mga district engineer. Naniniwala din po ako na ang taong nakakaalam tungkol sa mga mas malaking di umano’y corruption sa mga proyekto ng DPWH ay walang iba kung hindi ang ating district engineer,” he said.

(That is why it is being said that there are other people who are more at fault than the district engineers. I also believe that the person who knows about the bigger alleged corruption in the DPWH projects is none other than our district engineer.)

GMA News Online contacted the former congressman of the 1st District of Batangas to get his comment but no reply has been received yet as of posting time.

Calalo was brought to the Hall of Justice in Batangas City for the filing of the complaint, according to a report by Ian Cruz on Balitanghali.

State witness

Leviste expressed hope that Calalo as well as current and former employees and contractors of the DPWH will become state witnesses.

He said he has appealed to Calalo to help authorities. 

Leviste also stressed that he will never accept kickbacks, saying that the audit of all DPWH projects in the first district will continue.

“Ipagpapatuloy natin ang pagpapa-audit sa lahat ng DPWH projects sa unang distrito sa abot ng ating makakaya, hindi lamang sa mga flood control projects. At isusulong natin ang pagsasaayos ng mga mali at depektibong gawa ng walang dagdag na gastos sa gobyerno,” he said.

(We will continue the audit of all DPWH projects in the first district to the best of our ability, not only the flood control projects. And we will push for the correction of the errors and defective works without additional cost to the government.)

Calalo, meanwhile, declined to answer questions when being brought out of the police station on Tuesday morning, according to Ian Cruz’s report on Super Radyo dzBB.

District engineer na nagtangkang manuhol kay Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Antonio Levise, dinadala na sa Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. | via @_iancruz, @gmanews pic.twitter.com/OMf2OCDGNJ

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) August 26, 2025

He was arrested in a special operation in Taal, Batangas on Friday.

Initial police investigation showed that Calalo around 4:30 p.m. supposedly offered Leviste a bribe worth P3,126,900. Authorities recovered the P3,126,900 as evidence.

Calalo refused to give a statement to media on Monday while at the Taal Municipal Police Station.

The DPWH said on Monday that Calalo will be relieved of his assignment and placed on preventive suspension.

P150M for sheetpiles

One of the government projects that Leviste's office is investigating is a dike along the Binabang River in Barangay Santol, Balayan, Batangas, according to Ian Cruz's report on "Unang Balita."

According to the barangay captain, the dike was completed in 2023, but a portion was damaged by the inclement weather brought by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine the following year.

Leviste said the sheetpiles should be 15 meters long, but upon getting samples, the lawmaker said the first sample was only 3.96 meters while the second sheetpile was just 5.5 meters.

“Sabihin mo nang kalahati ng ginastos sa proyekto na ito na P338 million o mahigit ay sa sheetpile at sabihin nating one-third lang pala ang haba ng sheepiles na actually na linagay,” Leviste said.

(Let’s say half of the P338-million budget was allotted for the sheetpile, and let us say one-third of the allotted budget was actually used.)

The lawmaker pointed out that of the P150 million allotted budget for the sheetpiles, only P50 million was used.  — with a report from Mariel Celine Serquiña/KG/RF, GMA Integrated News