ABS-CBN
DPWH district engineer denies bribe try on Leviste: 'A twisting of the truth'
DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo denied bribing Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste, stating the accusations against him are "part of a political agenda" and a "twisting of the truth."
Calalo claimed that Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. Jojo Ang instructed him to collect donations from contractors working on DPWH projects in Batangas, which he said were meant for Leviste's projects.
Leviste had filed corruption charges against Calalo after an alleged attempt to bribe him to halt an investigation into flood control projects.
In his counter-affidavit, Calalo asserted he was merely following Ang's instructions and had no intention of bribing Leviste.
Calalo also alleged that Leviste initiated discussions about contractors and potential project bidding irregularities, even mentioning percentages of money from contractors.
The DPWH engineer added that Leviste had also visited his office and asked him to identify contractors whose projects were awarded by the previous Congressman Eric Buhain and were substandard, so that Leviste could punish them.
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Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo admitted receiving donations from contractors but denied bribery and graft allegations, claiming he was following instructions to deliver funds to Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste for his projects.
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Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo has filed a counter-affidavit seeking the dismissal of graft and corruption charges filed against him by Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste.
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