Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson praised Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste for rejecting an alleged ₱360-million bribe from a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer and for helping stage an entrapment operation that resulted in the official’s arrest.
“My snappy salute to neophyte Cong. Leandro Leviste, Batangas 1st District, for the successful police entrapment operation against a corrupt DPWH District Engineer who tried to bribe him with up to ₱360 million in ‘kickbacks’ from infra projects in his district. May his tribe increase,” Lacson posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night, August 24.
The former senator added that Leviste “did it on his own,” underscoring the young lawmaker’s initiative in pursuing the case.
Leviste, founder of Solar Philippines and a self-made billionaire, confirmed that charges against Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo would be filed before the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, August 26. His office said the move forms part of broader reforms to address “systemic problems” in the DPWH.
“We should not tolerate any corruption in DPWH. We should demand projects at better quality and lower cost, and obligate contractors to correct any deficiencies immediately without additional cost to government. Beyond this case, we will push for broader reforms,” Leviste said in an official statement on Monday morning, August 25.
The entrapment took place in Poblacion, Taal, where authorities recovered alleged evidence of bribery. The engineer faces possible charges under Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The incident comes amid heightened public scrutiny of flood control and infrastructure projects, with mounting allegations that lawmakers and contractors have benefited from insertions and kickbacks at the expense of substandard or even “ghost” projects.
