Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Leviste

Jamaine Punzalan

Marilyn Cahatol

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757055077401cropped-Screen Shot 2025-09-05 at 2.50.00 PM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Engr. Abelardo Calalo said he submitted earlier in the day his counter-affidavit in the case filed by Rep. Leviste against him for corruption of public officials and graft. ABS-CBN News/File/screengrab</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer in Batangas who was arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to bribe Rep. Leandro Leviste said Friday the accusations against him were “part of a political agenda.”</p><p>Engr. Abelardo Calalo submitted earlier in the day his counter-affidavit in the case filed by Leviste against him for corruption of public officials and graft.</p><p>“I vehemently deny the accusations against me. The same are either contrived or founded on a twisting of the truth, and clearly as part of a political agenda,” he said in a statement. </p><p>In a response, Leviste&#x27;s camp said Calalo supposedly admitted collecting &quot;donations&quot; to give to &quot;Congressman Leandro Leviste...for the support of the projects of the 1st District of Batangas.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>INSTRUCTION FROM  ANOTHER LAWMAKER</strong></div><p>Calalo said another lawmaker as early as May had instructed him “to collect donations from construction contractors with existing 2025 DPWH projects within the 1st District of Batangas as a show of support for the projects and programs of... Leviste.”</p><p>He said that Leviste later visited his office in August and told him “to reveal the contractors awarded with projects by the previous Congressman Eric Buhain that have made substandard constructions so that he can have them punished.”</p><p>Calalo said he told Leviste that “it would be difficult for me to provide information on something that I have no personal knowledge of” and that the lawmaker appeared “dissatisfied with my answer.”</p><p>“I suspected that he intended for me to be removed from my position and be replaced by a District Engineer of his choice,” Calalo said.</p><p>He said that in another meeting on Aug. 22, Leviste again asked him for information about contractors in their district and whether Buhain had “pre-determined” the results of most project biddings. But the engineer said he told Leviste that “I honestly did not know.”</p><p>“Cong. Leviste then asked me out of nowhere how much it would amount to if the contributions from the contractors would reach ten percent,” Calalo said.</p><p>The engineer said he was “confused as to why he would bring up a specific percentage amount.” But he supposedly told Leviste that if everyone contributed, the donation of contractors for his projects would reach around P360 million.</p><p>But he said he doubted that it would reach that amount “since the only contractor who gave something had only contributed a small amount.” </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;INSTIGATION NOT ENTRAPMENT&#x27;</strong></div><p>“Cong. Leviste then asked me if ‘meron ka bang dala ngayon?’ I was taken aback by his inquiry considering that it did not really seem that he was keen on building a good relationship with them,” Calalo said.</p><p>“Even then, I told him that I have a small amount donated by a contractor but I would just deliver the donations through his assistant…when more contractors have made donations for his projects.”</p><p>“But then Cong. Leviste was suddenly so eager for me to turn over what has been donated so far.  He insisted saying, &#x27;Kunin mo na kahit maliit pa para masimulan na natin,&#x27;&quot; the engineer continued.</p><p>He said he proceeded to “retrieve the collected donation from my car” and that Levisted appeared to be “waiting for someone.”</p><p>Calalo said the police arrived a few minutes later and arrested him and seized the donations he supposedly collected for the projects of the Leviste “without being touched, much less received by him.”</p><p>“Congressman Leviste fully knows that there is no truth to the imputations he made against me, including his allegation that I allegedly exposed him to the corrupt practices in our district,” Calalo said.</p><p>“This is a case of instigation and not entrapment. Instigation means luring the accused into a crime that he, otherwise, had no intention to commit, in order to prosecute him. On the other hand, entrapment is the employment of ways and means in order to trap or capture a lawbreaker,” he added.  </p><p>While Calalo acknowledged Leviste’s “valiant efforts” to thwart corruption in their district, he urged the lawmaker “to still observe candor and fairness and see to it that ordinary individuals shall not be reduced as dispensable instruments that can be coerced into submission to serve what is supposed to be a legitimate cause.”</p><p>“After all, it has been said, ‘The end cannot simply justify the means,’” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/28/dpwh-district-engineer-in-alleged-bribe-try-on-leviste-out-on-bail-2235">DPWH district engineer in alleged bribe try on Leviste out on bail</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>LEVISTE: I DID NOT ASK FOR HIM TO GIVE ME THE DONATION</strong></div><p>Leviste, in an interview with ANC&#x27;s Dateline, denied the accusation and said Calalo was the first to mention that he brought the money.</p><p>“I was in shock, I was not the one telling him to give me the donation. He was the one that said he has something with him,” Leviste said.</p><p>“This is my first term in Congress, so I was shocked that he could be so open about discussing that and I was a bit speechless actually when he said that. So he took it upon himself to bring it. I did not ask for him to give me the donation. He brought it, and he was the one who said, ‘I have it here,’” he added.</p><p>In a statement, Leviste said the cash came with a receipt of three contracts totaling P104,230,000 with a note of “3% 3,126,900.00”. </p><p>&quot;Based on DPWH records, these 3 contracts were awarded to Toptech Trading &amp; Construction Co., Inc., owned by Mr. Elrey Jose C. Noche from Lemery, Batangas. Perhaps Mr. Noche could say more, but I heard that he recently left the country,&quot; Leviste stated.</p><p>The congressman also questioned why Calalo has not mentioned the names of the contractors and proponents of DPWH projects in Batangas 1st District, especially since the donations came along with receipts of three projects under the company Toptech Trading and Construction Corporation, Inc.</p><p>“I’m not sure why he is not mentioning this salient information about the identity of the contractor who he has been talking to and he has mentioned to me in our conversation,” he said, adding that Calalo supposedly omitted from his affidavit that he allegedly named another contractor who was willing him to give an initial P15 million.</p><p>The congressman said that during his meeting with Calalo, the district engineer also mentioned several contractors of DPWH projects in the district who gave him the money and who were willing to give him the money, but they were not named in the affidavit.</p><p>&quot;DE should not divert attention away from the contractors. To show that he is not covering up for them, DE can admit the long list of names of other contractors and proponents of projects whom he told me were also ready and willing to give support and how contractors are selected for projects in the 1st District of Batangas,&quot; Leviste said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/26/leviste-files-raps-vs-batangas-engineer-over-alleged-bribe-attempt-1254">Leviste files raps vs Batangas engineer over alleged bribe attempt</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>CONNECTED TO ANOTHER LAWMAKER?</strong></div><p>He told ANC that S-Ang Construction and General Trading Inc. and Readycon Trading &amp; Construction Corporation, contractors in DPWH projects in 1st District of Batangas, are connected to an incumbent member of Congress.</p><p>&quot;I want to put on the record, news media can check on the contractors in the 1st District in Batangas. It was not in his affidavit. That was our meeting. He mentioned the proponents of those projects, one is in fact a sitting member of Congress. ANC can research S-Ang Construction and Readycon Trading,&quot; he said.</p><p>“He did not only mention one congressman who this contractor is connected to. He mentioned other high-level officials who also have put projects in the first district of Batangas, and contractors who are immediately willing to support,” he added.</p><p>Leviste underscored that he only met the district engineer during meetings that are “part of the job of a district representative.”</p><p>He said he first met Calalo to plan for the repair of two bridges in the district that Leviste ordered to be repaired with his own personal donation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mkfug1tQw4A?si=FErgb35THaBtfNy7" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KuD1E8PW6lo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer in Batangas who was arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to bribe Rep. Leandro Leviste said Friday the accusations against him were “part of a political agenda.”</p>

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer in Batangas who was arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to bribe Rep. Leandro Leviste said Friday the accusations against him were “part of a political agenda.”

DPWH district engineer denies bribe try on Leviste: 'A twisting of the truth'

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DPWH district engineer denies bribe try on Leviste: 'A twisting of the truth'

Jamaine Punzalan,

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 05, 2025 02:53 PM PHT

|

Updated Sep 05, 2025 09:02 PM PHT

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Abelardo Calalo

Leandro Leviste

DPWH

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