Malacañang said the supposed flood control documents held by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste cannot be treated as conclusive evidence, stressing that their authentication now lies with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after Leviste uploaded to his Facebook page a list of 75 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects worth around P8 billion allegedly tagged “OP (ES/SAP)” as proponent, based on files he said were linked to the late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral.

In a statement, Castro said the government will defer to the Ombudsman on the matter, noting that multiple and conflicting versions of the documents have surfaced.

“Nasa kamay na po ng Office of the Ombudsman ang pag-authenticate ng ‘Leviste files’ (The authentication of the ‘Leviste files’ is now in the hands of the Office of the Ombudsman),” she said.

The Palace Press Officer cited the earlier position of Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, who pointed out that documents held by private individuals and susceptible to editing cannot automatically be considered solid proof.

“Ang mga dokumento na hawak ng ibang tao na maaaring ma-edit ay hindi maituturing na isang conclusive evidence (Documents held by other people that can be edited cannot be considered conclusive evidence),” she said.

Castro said one of the main issues raised by authorities is the existence of several versions of the supposed files, which do not match each other.

“Marami nang versions ang lumalabas at hindi sila magkakatugma (Many versions have already come out and they do not match),” noting that some versions contain handwritten annotations and even names of Cabinet secretaries, while other versions do not include such details.

Because of these inconsistencies, Castro said claims built on the documents remain speculative.

“Ang mga kuwentong walang pinanghahawakang matibay na ebidensya ay mananatiling isang haka-haka lamang (Stories that are not anchored on solid evidence will remain mere speculation),” she said.

In his lengthy Facebook post, Leviste said he shared the list to allow public scrutiny and called for a full investigation, adding that the “OP (ES/SAP)” tag could refer to offices rather than specific individuals.

The Palace, however, maintained that only the Ombudsman can determine the authenticity and evidentiary value of the materials.

“Hintayin natin ang Office of the Ombudsman ang magsalita patungkol diyan (Let us wait for the Office of the Ombudsman to speak on this matter),” Castro said.