Leviste refutes Clavano’s claim on ‘Cabral’ files

MANILA, Philippines — Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste has refuted Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano’s claim that he submitted only a limited portion of the alleged “Cabral files” to the Office of the Ombudsman, noting that Clavano was not part of the team he met with on Nov. 26.

Leviste issued his statement shortly after Clavano claimed that the lawmaker did not present the entire set of the purported files “when asked to do so.” 

The so-called “Cabral files” refer to documents allegedly given to Leviste by the late Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, which purportedly link several high-ranking officials — including Cabinet secretaries — to controversial insertions in the 2025 infrastructure budget.

“Their team members in our meeting are listed below, and Assistant Ombudsman Clavano was not part of it, so it would be best for the people in the meetings to speak for themselves. I presented the Ombudsman both the DPWH summary and Excel spreadsheet of the 2025 NEP during our meeting, which lasted from around 9:10 a.m. to 12 p.m.,” Leviste said.

“I invited the Ombudsman’s team to go through the file further, but they did not seem too interested. Their questions during our meeting were more about projects linked to Congressman Edwin Gardiola (the agenda of our meeting, as per their letter, attached), and I was the one showing them the file, which I said would be helpful for all their investigations. The team, however, was more focused on their assignment to build a case on Congressman Gardiola,” he added.

According to Leviste, the investigating team was invited for a follow-up meeting but reportedly did not get back to them.

He also responded to Clavano’s point that the files that may have been potentially altered, saying that the documents he has are similar to those reportedly in the possession of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson and a media outlet.

“Instead of focusing solely on my files, I agree that it would be better if we compare your copy, my copy, and the copies separately obtained by others like Senator Lacson at the soonest possible time,” he said.

Along with his statement, Leviste likewise attached a photo of his meeting with the members of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure in November. 

Earlier, reporters asked Leviste’s office to release the files in question, but the lawmaker instead called on the Department of Public Works and Highways to do so.

In a video statement, Clavano revealed that the anti-graft body has been approached by multiple sources claiming to possess copies of the alleged “Cabral files.” 

Clavano, however, stressed that the most reliable evidence comes from the original documents held by the agencies and individuals who had custody or “authorship of the computers, storage devices, and the files themselves.”

He added that the Ombudsman is now preparing to conduct a digital forensic examination of the CPU of Cabral, a process, which he said would be done “transparently and in coordination with the Commission on Audit, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.”

Clavano also noted that the so-called Cabral files are just a portion of the Ombudsman’s investigation on the flood control anomalies.  /gsg