Batangas solons hit Leviste’s ‘irresponsible, baseless’ claims vs Rectos

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the five other districts of Batangas have condemned Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste for his “baseless, malicious, and irresponsible” allegations made against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and his wife, Governor Vilma Santos Recto.

Copies of House Resolution (HR) No. 994, which was filed before the House of Representatives on Thursday, showed the following authors:

• 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro
• 3rd District Rep. King George Collantes
• 4th District Rep. Amado Carlos Bolilia IV
• 5th District Rep. Beverly Rose Dimacuha
• Recto’s son and 6th District Rep. Ryan Recto

“Rep. Leandro L. Leviste, during his privilege speech on May 5, 2026, publicly imputed an alleged involvement in purported anomalies in the Province of Batangas, to Executive Secretary (ES) Ralph G. Recto and Governor Vilma Santos-Recto,” HR No. 994 stated.

“These serious accusations, as described in the said speech, were advanced without any competent, verifiable, or documentary evidence, relying solely on anonymous and uncorroborated claims that fall far short of the standard of responsible public discourse,” it added.

According to the lawmakers, House members are given freedom of speech and the platform to air grievances, but it should not serve as a “shield for speculation, insinuation, or reckless statements.”

“Members of Congress are accorded with parliamentary freedom of speech and debate by no less than the Constitution, but such is intended to enable a representative to discharge his public trust and uphold truth and accountability, not to serve as a shield for speculation, insinuation, or reckless statements aimed at unjustly destroying the reputation of public officials who have long served the nation and their constituents,” the lawmakers said in the resolution.

“Parliamentary immunity is a fundamental and essential privilege, but it should not be abused to put forth personal interests in the guise of public service […] The deliberate airing of unverified allegations in a privileged forum constitutes a grave misuse of legislative authority and undermines the integrity of the House of Representatives as an institution,” they added.

The five Batangas lawmakers were referring to Leviste’s privilege speech on Tuesday, where he accused Recto of working with CWS party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola to gather campaign funds for Recto’s family — Santos-Recto and her son, Luis Manzano, who made an unsuccessful vice gubernatorial bid in 2025.

According to Leviste, based on his estimates and own research, Gardiola allegedly spent P1 billion to support Recto and Manzano’s candidacy.

“Based on my research and estimates, Congressman Edwin Gardiola spent over P1 billion for Vilma Santos-Recto and Lucky Manzano, along with their other candidates, and for himself as the first nominee of the CWS party-list in the 2025 elections. In my district, my estimate is that P150 million was spent, and for other politicians, they spent P200 or P300 million for their districts,” Leviste said Tuesday.

After his speech, Leviste was confronted by the younger Recto, saying that discussions within the House must not be based on baseless accusations.

“While this representation recognizes the importance of legislative oversight, I believe that it is equally important that information shared in this plenary is accurately based on facts, not assumptions, not insinuations, and certainly not on incomplete information.  The plenary should not be used to state assumptions or accusations without enough basis,” Rep. Recto said.

READ: Leviste gets schooled by lawmakers for spewing ‘hearsay’

Deputy Speakers Janette Garin and David Suarez then raised questions against Leviste, questioning where the Batangas solon got his basis to accuse Recto and Gardiola of conniving and spending P1 billion for the entire Batangas.  

Suarez, in particular, rose to ask questions after Leviste mentioned his name in trying to prove that campaign expenditures in Calabarzon should be lower than in other areas.

Suarez comes from Quezon, a province within Calabarzon that sits near Batangas.

When both Garin and Suarez asked how much Leviste spent on his own campaign, the latter did not answer directly.

Later on, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon moved to strike off from the records Leviste’s allegations that are without basis, like the Batangas solon’s claims that politicians outside of Calabarzon spend more for their campaign.

“I think that is not based on fact, that is not based on truth, that should be stricken out of the record,” Ridon said.

Leviste and Recto have been trading barbs inside and outside of social media. 

On Tuesday, Leviste posted on his Facebook page several photos of Recto and Gardiola — first in an alleged dinner where Leviste was also present, and later on, photos featuring Gardiola and Recto along with other individuals like Santos-Recto.

In response, Recto said in a message to INQUIRER that Leviste is “crazy” — the same statements he made when he commented on Leviste’s post.

“The guy is crazy and a liar,” Recto said.

READ: Batangas pols Leviste, Recto trade barbs on, off social media

Leviste first mentioned Recto’s name in his criticisms last April 13, when he asked the Executive Secretary to stop blocking the attempts of Congress to cut or suspend the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on fuel and other products so that the government can ease some of the consumers’ burden. /gsg /atm