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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Batchmate ko yan! Solons hail Legarda Leviste for standing up to DPWH corruption

Batchmate ko yan! Solons hail Legarda Leviste for standing up to DPWH corruption

Published Aug 25, 2025 01:04 pm

At A Glance

  • Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste is the toast of the town in the House of Representatives, and deservedly so.
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste is the toast of the town in the House of Representatives, and deservedly so.
The 32-year-old neophyte solon grabbed headlines by rejecting millions in bribe money from a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer and having him arrested afterward.
His House colleagues were quick to recognize the weight of his actions and were proud of him as a result.
"I’d like to applaud and express my solidarity with what transpired in Batangas under the leadership of my friend in the House of Representatives, Cong. Leandro Leviste," Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez said in a Facebook post Monday, Aug. 25.
"If my own district engineer ever dared to offer me a large amount, I commit to do the same by standing firm and exposing it. Because when someone tries to buy silence, one has to ask: what are they hiding? Faulty projects? Or worse, GHOST projects?" he wrote.
Benitez says that Legarda Leviste--a very successful businessman--cannot be "blinded by money".
"More importantly, he has the integrity to say no. I can attest to this, having interned with him during our student days at IdeaSpace, a start-up incubator in the Philippines, where I saw firsthand his drive, discipline, and values," he said.
Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Mark Anthony Santos' reaction to Legarda Leviste's feat was short but emphatic. It wasn't lost on him too, that Aug. 25 was National Heroes' Day.
"SALUDO SA AKING 20th CONGRESS BATCHMATE BATANGAS FIRST DISTRICT REP. LEANDRO L. LEVISTE! (I salute my 20th Congress batchmate Batangas first district Rep. Leandro L. Leviste!)" Santos wrote in his own post on Facebook.
"Matapang na lumalaban kontra katiwalian at ghost projects. Tunay na bayani ng bayan! (Courageously fighting corruption and ghost projects. A true hero of the nation!)" he added of Legarda Leviste.
In a statement Monday, Legarda Leviste's office confirmed that a case against DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer (DE) Abelardo Calalo would be filed at the Office of the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
"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 to address systemic problems of DPWH," the statement read.
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