Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, son of Senator Loren Legarda, confirmed that a district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allegedly attempted to bribe him to stop his investigation into irregularities found in several infrastructure projects in Batangas.
In a statement released by his camp, Leviste said he will be filing a case before the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, August 26.
“We should not tolerate any corruption in DPWH. We should demand projects of better quality and lower cost, and obligate contractors to correct any deficiencies immediately without additional cost to government,” Leviste stressed.
The first-term lawmaker added: “Beyond this case, we will push for broader reforms to address systemic problems of DPWH.”
Authorities identified the district engineer as Abelardo Calalo, who was arrested on Friday, August 22.
Calalo allegedly attempted to bribe Leviste with ₱3.1 million to drop his probe.