Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

1st District of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press after the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget during a plenary session on Monday, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Marilyn Cahatol

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17671476282372025123102128_db884c2c0cae7bba287e67572a4fb50d421f57a19376bd737eeb7766ea9ffd46_cropped_processed_by_imagy.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">1st District of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press after the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget during a plenary session on Monday, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>— Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday said the Office of the Ombudsman reached out to apologize to him over its “inaccurate” <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/29/ombudsman-says-leviste-did-not-provide-complete-cabral-files-1208">video statement</a> saying Leviste only provided a limited copy of the “Cabral files.”</p><p>“They apologized for being inaccurate with what Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano had posted because the video, I think, was perhaps a sudden decision for them to post,” Leviste told ANC’s Headstart. </p><p>He said an Ombudsman staff apologized to him, while Clavano “expressed to someone who expressed to… that he was not instructed by his superior to give that video message.”</p><p>ABS-CBN News has reached out to the Office of the Ombudsman to validate Leviste&#x27;s claim.</p><p>Clavano on Dec. 29 posted a video saying Leviste was not the only person who approached their office claiming to possess copies of the Cabral files. </p><p>The Assistant Ombudsman added that soft copies of documents held by third parties inherently lose evidentiary credibility as they are susceptible to alteration, incomplete context, or manipulation.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/26/it-is-leviste-s-responsibility-to-prove-authenticity-of-cabral-files-malaca-ang-1521">It is Leviste’s ‘responsibility to prove authenticity’ of ‘Cabral files’ — Malacañang</a></div><p>The Batangas representative, however, said Clavano was not included in his meeting with the Office of the Ombudsman, where he supposedly provided the document. </p><p>“There are ombudsman staff that are in the meeting and they can explain themselves what the meeting was about,” he said. </p><p>Leviste explained the meeting’s agenda was actually about CWS Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola’s projects in Batangas 1st District, and that he initiated the conversation about the Cabral files.</p><p>“They did not seem too interested about it and they didn&#x27;t come back to me after that,” he said.</p><p>Leviste said he wants the Ombudsman to correct the video message, which instead shows that “there is more concern and effort being given to prevent the files from being released than to explain to the public how is the budget of the DPWH being used.”</p><p>“I would like the ombudsman to correct the video message of Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano as inaccurate. I gave more than what they asked for and they did not even ask for anything after that,” he said.</p><p>Leviste on Monday posted a photo with staff of the Office of the Ombudsman he met with on Nov. 26., saying &quot;it would be best for the people in the meetings to speak for themselves.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zgl78ZO2Pr8?si=kPNdue-Z8-riAnVW" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday said the Office of the Ombudsman reached out to apologize to him over its “inaccurate” video statement saying Leviste only provided a limited copy of the “Cabral files.”</p>

Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday said the Office of the Ombudsman reached out to apologize to him over its “inaccurate” video statement saying Leviste only provided a limited copy of the “Cabral files.”

Leviste claims Ombudsman staff apologized for ‘inaccurate’ video statement

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Leviste claims Ombudsman staff apologized for ‘inaccurate’ video statement

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 31, 2025 10:21 AM PHT

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Updated Dec 31, 2025 11:36 AM PHT

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Leandro Leviste

Mico Clavano

Office of the Ombudsman

Cabral files

DPWH

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