Dizon: Leviste forcibly obtained Cabral files

Batangas solon insists release was authorized; DPWH chief denies authenticating records; Bloated 'allocables' of congressmen bared

- TRIXEE ROSEL and ELLSON QUISMORIO

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has denied authenticating the so-called files of former undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral now circulating online as he has not even seen the documents.

He likewise alleged that the former undersecretary's documents were forcibly obtained by Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste.

For days now, Leviste has been claiming that Dizon can readily prove the legitimacy of the documents, even saying that the DPWH secretary instructed the late former undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to release the documents to him in good faith last September.

But Dizon said he never validated any document allegedly in the possession of Leviste.

"For the record, I have not authenticated any document because I have not even seen what document he is referring to," Dizon said.

The dispute escalated after Leviste challenged Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro to verify the authenticity of the files with Dizon.

Leviste maintained that the documents he uploaded originated from the DPWH and from Cabral herself, warning that questions surrounding the files would eventually be disproven.

The lawmaker said he obtained the files as early as September, before Cabral's fatal fall into a ravine in Benguet on Dec. 19, after Dizon allegedly agreed to make them public in the interest of transparency.

Dizon, however, countered that Leviste forcibly obtained copies of the files from Cabral's office by using a staff member's computer and saving them onto a flash drive, an incident he said Cabral personally narrated to him shortly after it occurred.

Asked whether the lawmaker appeared to be throwing his weight around, Dizon said this was the impression he formed based on how the files were taken.

Leviste denied the allegation, maintaining that he did not forcibly copy the documents.