If it were your own money, would you knowingly spend it on overpriced projects? This was the question that Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste sought to answer as he announced plans to begin his reform push within his own district.
During “The Public Works Reform Agenda Series” segment of DZRH News program Special on Saturday, Leviste said he is asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to remove 25% or ₱400 million from the ₱1.6-billion allocation for infrastructure projects in his district and divert the savings to build additional classrooms.
Leviste said the move will serve as an example for other lawmakers to follow, arguing that if one district can reduce project costs without sacrificing quality, there should be no reason for others not to do the same.
“Kung hindi nila gagawin para sa buong bansa, sinabi nga natin kanina, ‘yung ₱1.6 billion sa aking distrito, gawin na lang po nilang ₱1.2 billion. Pag makita nila na sa isang distrito ay pwedeng ibaba pala, ano pong magiging justification na hindi ibaba para sa buong bansa?” Leviste said.
“Kung papayagan natin na maaprubahan iyan na hindi ibaba ang presyo ng DPWH projects sa 2026, ang masasabi ko po ay business-as-usual pa, hindi po mababago ang kultura ng kickbacks sa DPWH projects,” he added.
In his open letter to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, Leviste proposed for a 25% across-the-board reduction in DPWH project costs to remove the “kickback margin” allegedly built into budgets and redirect the savings to essential services like classrooms.
“Kung sa 2026 budget, mayroon akong ₱1.6 billion worth of DPWH projects, hindi ko po kukunin ang 25% d’yan. Gawin na lang pong ₱1.2 billion, at sana ‘yung ₱400 million in savings, pwedeng gamitin para sa karagdagang classrooms ng mga eskwelahan ng unang distrito ng Batangas,” he said.
The lawmaker emphasized that the proposed reduction would not affect necessary infrastructure works but would redirect funds toward urgent education needs in his district.
“P1 billion (out of P1.6 billion) na sa roads. Kailangan naman po natin ng roads, pero halimbawa, kung ibaba natin ang cost sa roads nang 30%, ‘yung ₱300 million in savings sana ay pwedeng ilaan para sa mga classrooms,” Leviste said.
“I think at the least, ang maibabawas na ₱400 million ay pwedeng ilipat sa 160 new classrooms,” he added.
Leviste explained that his proposal to lower prices of DPWH projects by 25 percent nationwide should start with tangible action at the district level. He noted that overpriced projects have long drained public resources that could otherwise fund basic social services such as classrooms.
Citing the upcoming 2026 DPWH budget, Leviste said several projects remain bloated in cost.
“Kung titingnan natin ‘yung mga proyekto na nasa budget na iyan, i-canvas natin sa merkado at overpriced sila, parang hindi natin maipaliwanag bakit dapat ganoon ang presyo ng mga proyektong aaprubahan natin,” he said.
Leviste earlier disclosed that some asphalt overlay projects in his district were pegged at over ₱100 million per kilometer, which he said reflected a systemic overpricing problem in the agency’s budget formulation.
“Doon po natin nakikita na hindi lang sa dinadaya ang program of works, kung hindi rin tinataas ang presyo sa budget,” he said in the interview.
The Batangas lawmaker said he hopes that his example will pressure both the DPWH and Congress to scrutinize project costs nationwide.
“Simple lang po, ang ₱625 billion budget, gawin nating ₱450 billion ang mga proyekto doon,” Leviste said.
“Pag nakita nila na sa isang distrito ay pwedeng ibaba pala, ano pong magiging justification na hindi ibaba para sa buong bansa?” he said.
Leviste said he will continue to advocate for the reallocation of DPWH funds toward classrooms, describing it as a practical step to address the country’s education infrastructure backlog.
“Ang nakikita kong result of this system of trying to find ways to maximize the kickbacks on the project is ‘yung mga projects na nakakatulong undoubtedly sa mga tao tulad ng mga classrooms ay nade-deprioritize,” he lamented.
