Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has publicly challenged the Department of Public Works and Highways to authenticate budget-related documents he uploaded on Facebook, directly naming DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and calling the situation a “checkmate.”
Leviste said he deliberately gave DPWH several days to verify the documents to see whether the agency would deny their authenticity, withhold information, or confirm the contents. He said the move was also intended to determine whether DPWH was unwilling to release the files to the public.
Among the documents cited by Leviste was an Oct. 1 email he sent to Dizon confirming a file titled “FY 2025 DPWH Budget.pdf.” He also pointed to an Oct. 20 email from DPWH that sent him a document labeled “FY 2026 DPWH HGAB summary by DEO_LD.pdf.” The email stated that the file was transmitted “as per instruction of Sec. Vince Dizon” and included Dizon’s signature, according to Leviste.
Leviste said these emails show that the files were real, officially transmitted, and known to DPWH leadership. He said this contradicts any claim that the documents were unauthorized or unknown to the department.
In a radio interview earlier in the day, Leviste said that if officials are telling the truth, there is no need for a delayed response. He noted that a week had passed since he announced he would release the files with Dizon’s approval.
Leviste also said he has publicly stated since November that he possessed the documents, including when he presented them to the Integrity Commission Initiative and the Office of the Ombudsman. He added that Dizon had told him in September that the documents would be released to the public.
As of publication, DPWH has not issued a public response to Leviste’s challenge or the documents he cited.
