Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said that the government as a matter course cannot publicly issue incomplete or unverified files in connection with the flood control projects corruption scandal.

Ridon, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, had this to say Thursday, Jan. 22 in response to his colleague, Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste's appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman to release a "pre-authentication" copy of the so-called "Cabral files".

"Hindi ginagawa ng gobyernong maglabas ng unauthenticated at partial files tulad ng ginawa ni Rep. Leandro Leviste, dahil mahalaga ang complete at authenticated files sa aktwal na trabaho nito ng pagpapanagot ng mga sangkot sa flood control scam," Ridon said.

(The government does not release unauthenticated and partial files like what Rep. Leandro Leviste did, because complete and authenticated documents are essential to its actual work of holding those involved in the flood control scam accountable.)

"Bahala na ang publikong magdesisyon kung tinatanggap nilang totoo ang mga inilalabas ni Rep. Leviste na mga dokumento (It is now up to the public to decide whether they accept as genuine the documents released by Rep. Leviste)," the party-list lawmaker said.

Leviste has arguably been the go-to source for the Cabral files especially for the general public. The files, which he posts on his Facebook--refer to budget documents that were reportedly given to him by the late former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.

The Batangueño has repeatedly said that the files were authentic and not manufactured as some of his detractors have said.

In a press conference Wednesday, Jan. 21, Leviste noted that the Ombudsman could--if it wanted to--release an unofficial or pre-authentication copy of the Cabral list, just so that the public could counter-check it with his.

Meanwhile, Ridon called out Leviste for admitting releasing an unvetted and unverified DPWH document listing projects of CWS Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola.

Included in that list is a line item labeled “2024 MAIP” with an amount of ₱30 million. "Walang programa sa DPWH na MAIP ang pangalan (There is no DPWH program called MAIP)," Ridon said.

"Ang alam ng mga taong MAIP program ay nasa ilalim ng Department of Health (DOH), ang tinatawag na Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients. Kaya kung ito ang MAIP na programa ng DOH, bakit ito mailalagay bilang line item sa sinasabing official document ng DPWH, bagamat unvetted at unverified?" the lawyer-solon said.

(What people recognize as the MAIP program falls under the DOH and refers to Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients. If this is indeed the DOH MAIP program, then why would it appear as a line item in what is being claimed as an official DPWH document, albeit an unvetted and unverified one?)

"Dapat nakita ito agad ni Rep. Leviste bago niyo inilahad sa publiko, binanggit sa press conference at media interviews (Rep. Leviste should have caught this immediately before releasing the document to the public and before mentioning it in press conferences and media interviews)," noted Ridon.

Leviste said during his presser that the projects list was "credible".