Team DailyPedia
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has admitted that his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, had 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.
In a radio interview with DZRH anchor Anthony Taberna, Leviste said he personally asked Legarda about the list and claimed she denied having knowledge of the specific projects attributed to her.
“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.
“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 then asked Leviste to confirm whether Legarda had the smallest amount of insertions among senators, estimated at P1 billion, based on a list related to the 2025 national budget.
Leviste responded that the list in question referred to bicameral conference committee insertions in the DPWH budget.
“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,” he said.
Leviste also claimed that Cabral handed him the list with the permission of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, whom he said was on the phone at the time of the exchange.
However, a Reddit post circulating online alleged a different version of events, claiming that Leviste barged into Cabral’s office and forcibly took documents from her hands. The post further alleged that the encounter caused a paper cut on Cabral’s finger, which was visible when she attended a congressional hearing the following day.
Cabral had earlier resigned from her post after being implicated in the flood control controversy.
The allegations resurfaced following reports of Cabral’s death after she reportedly fell into a ravine along Kennon Road. Her identity was later confirmed through DNA testing, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
As of writing, no official findings have been released regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged office incident.
