Leviste claims Gardiola 'pre-ordered' over P20-B DPWH projects

MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas, 1st District) claims Rep. Edwin Gardiola (CWS Party-list) is the next congressman-contractor to look out for after Elizaldy Co, saying a document he obtained shows he "bought" around P22 billion worth of projects in the 2025 budget.

During a press conference on Wednesday, November 19, Leviste presented tables listing infrastructure projects that Gardiola allegedly "pre-ordered" from the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), a document he said he obtained from former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral.

While the document alone does not definitively prove collusion between the agency and Gardiola or his linked contracting companies, Leviste said it raises questions about how the projects grouped in the list were eventually awarded to Gardiola-linked firms in 2025.

He believes it "writes strong evidence" of a scheme that some lawmakers may have been doing to financially benefit from government projects. This, he said, would make sense because the NEP technically contains the executive-approved budget of an agency's proposal. 

In other words, he claims Gardiola may have contacted DPWH officials to request projects that could later be awarded to his construction firms — or those linked to him — in exchange for money.

Leviste said he identified six projects in his own district under Readycon Trading and Construction Corp and S-Ang Construction and General Trading Inc. The projects, he believes, were proposed by Gardiola because of a time when the lawmaker asked for his help in securing the local government’s approval of the asphalt specifications.

According to him, 794 million worth of projects in his district were awarded to Gardiola firms, while P280 million were bid out by contractors with whom Gardiola had connections. 

Aside from Batangas, Leviste said the list also shows Gardiola-linked projects in Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Negros Oriental, Occidental Mindoro and Palawan. Most of the projects involved road construction. 

"So, I estimate that if in my district around one-third are under his name perhaps, roughly the same rule of thumb can be established (in other provinces)," he added.

Why Gardiola has been under the radar in the flood control scandal, he thinks, is because several of the construction companies he allegedly has a stake in are not under his name. 

Leviste visited the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Wednesday, November 18, to tell the body to consider looking into Gardiola's contractor ties as well. He said ICI Commissioner Rogelio Singson told him that Gardiola was the second top contractor based on their count. He also said ICI personnel were in his office reviewing the documentary evidence, which he hopes would lead to a case build-up.

"I think it's not even close that now that former Congressman Zaldy Co is not in Congress, there is no congressman in the 20th Congress that has interest in construction companies that have as many DPWH contract amounts as Congressman Edwin Gardiola," he said. 

Leviste also claimed that Gardiola asked another congressman to tell him not to target him last week. He added that he spoke with Gardiola through a colleague’s phone during a plenary session, where Gardiola denied the corruption allegations and suggested meeting this week with House Speaker Bojie Dy to talk about it.

"The truth, though, is that Congressman Gardiola is very wealthy and well-connected," Leviste said. 

He also said that determining the accuracy of the document will require the DPWH and Congress to release details on the proponents of projects in the 2025 budget. This would then allow the ICI to cross-check the information and assess whether any collusion took place between Gardiola-linked firms and the agency.