Team DailyPedia
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has been accused on social media of harassing then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Catalina Cabral, in an alleged incident said to have taken place inside her office.
The accusation surfaced in a Reddit post on the forum r/DPWHEngineersPH, shared by user u/Unlucky-Love5132, who claimed that the lawmaker allegedly entered Cabral’s office on the night before a congressional hearing and forcibly took documents from her hands.
The post has gained renewed attention following reports of Cabral’s death. Authorities earlier confirmed that Cabral fell into a ravine along Kennon Road on Thursday, with her identity verified through a DNA test, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Cabral had resigned from her post at the Department of Public Works and Highways after being implicated in the controversial flood control projects currently under investigation.
“Totoo po ito — nangyari mismo sa opisina ni Usec. Cabral gabi bago ang hearing,” the Reddit user wrote, alleging that Leviste acted aggressively and forcibly grabbed documents from Cabral, resulting in a paper cut on her finger.
The post further claimed that Cabral was seen wearing a bandage on her finger during the congressional hearing the following day, which the user alleged was related to the incident.
“Kaya noong sumunod na araw sa hearing, mapapansin niyo nakabenda ang kanyang daliri — hindi dahil sa simpleng aksidente, kundi dahil mismo sa insidente sa loob ng kanyang sariling opisina,” the user added.
The anonymous post described the alleged behavior as alarming, saying it was troubling for an elected official to barge into the office of a sitting government undersecretary and forcibly take documents to the point of causing injury.
“Nakakagulat at nakakaalarma na ganito ang ugali ng isang halal na opisyal—pumapasok sa opisina ng isang undersecretary at pilit inaagaw ang dokumento, to the point na nasaktan pa ang opisyal,” the post read.
As of this writing, Rep. Leviste has not issued a public statement responding to the allegation. No official complaint related to the incident has been publicly confirmed by authorities.
