Reforming the power of the purse

For someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak, Batangas first congressional district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste entered politics as a self-made billionaire. At 32 years old, Rep. Leviste proudly stands out as among the most independent, highly articulate and intelligent neophyte lawmakers crossing words with veteran and traditional politicians in the halls of the 20th Congress.

Leviste grew up with and was nurtured by politicians in his family. After all, he is the younger of the two sons of Sen. Loren Legarda and estranged husband, former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste. He ran and won as an independent candidate. When he joined the 20th Congress, Rep. Leviste reported a net worth of P34 billion in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) as of last year. “Our SALNs are based on cost of acquisition and not market value. P34 B is approximately what Meralco paid for my company,” Leviste cited.

Featured guest at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Leviste demonstrated his fine flair in politics, in stark contrast to his elders in Congress, against some of whom he has earned their personal wrath. Leviste delivered no-holds-barred public disclosures on the alleged abuses and excesses of his colleagues in Congress in the exercise of their so-called powers of the purse in taking advantage of the systemic weaknesses of the budget process.

Leviste launched his advocacy for budget reforms starting with “congressional insertions” into the flood control and other infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). It was not by choice but based on his first-hand experience with the flood control projects. Leviste denounced at a press conference in August about the alleged “offer” to him by DPWH engineer Aberlardo Calalo.

Calalo was arrested in an entrapment operation. But he subsequently denied the bribe attempt and claimed he was only offering donations. Leviste countered this by releasing a crumpled document showing a “three percent” cut of P104 million in project cost, which totaled approximately P3.1 million.

This was a few weeks after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) submitted to Congress the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) bill. The DPWH was then headed by secretary Manuel Bonoan before PBBM accepted his resignation in the aftermath of the reported multibillion-peso worth of “ghost” flood control projects.

The President immediately named then Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon to replace Bonoan at the DPWH. Dizon ordered the summary dismissal of Calalo while administrative and criminal charges were later filed against the erring Batangas-DPWH engineer.

But before he plunged to politics, Leviste founded Solar Philippines in 2013 and listed its subsidiary, SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) in 2021. Leviste used his own hard-earned money as a businessman out of the sale of his SPNEC to the Meralco MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen). He sold his controlling stake in SPNEC to the Manila Electric (Meralco) for P34 billion in 2023. MGreen’s stake in SPNEC stood at 69.26 percent while Leviste still owns 18.66 percent of SPNEC’s common shares.

Leviste disclosed he set aside P6 billion for the Lingkod Legarda-Leviste Foundation which he put up last year. The foundation’s goals include generating an average of P1 billion annually for 50 years to support students and victims of natural disasters. “I have been giving away allowances for students and relief for typhoon victims but earning bank interest din naman po,” Leviste clarified.

Despite being a newbie in politics, Leviste vows to reform the “kalakaran” (culture) in Congress, although he has to work around some challenges. But this did not stop Leviste from his crusade. He has to do it in behalf of his over 700,000 constituents living in the western Batangas municipalities of Balayan, Calatagan, Lemery, Lian, Nasugbu, Taal and Tuy and the component city of Calaca.

Leviste’s voice cracked as he expressed empathy for his constituent who depend upon his leadership to work for budget allocation for his congressional district. He bewailed the uncanny “correlation” he noted that congressional districts with many contractors get bigger shares of the annual budget of DPWH.

Thus, Leviste hailed Dizon’s removal of two senior DPWH officials found to be contractors as a rare moment of accountability in a department long criticized for conflicts of interest. Dizon’s decision is a clear vindication for Rep. Leviste, who in October revealed that several appointees under former undersecretary Arrey Perez were connected to contractor groups.

Perez resigned a day after the exposé. Now, Perez’s own appointees, who he endorsed to Dizon, have been removed for the very violations Leviste warned about.

“We have had a very fruitful past few months working with Secretary Vince, and I look forward to working together further to push reforms in the DPWH and the budget process,” Leviste promised.

Leviste presented Dizon’s signed order rescinding the appointments of an assistant secretary and a Director IV of Convergence and Technical Services. Both were confirmed to be contractors. Leviste also linked their network to Construction Workers Solidarity party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, whose associated companies have reportedly won over P100 billion in DPWH projects.

Rep. Leviste’s revelations highlight a deep-rooted problem: contractors embedded inside the agency that awards contracts.

Leviste revealed information that investigations are ongoing involving other officials. This included a current undersecretary in another agency who allegedly became a DPWH contractor after assuming office. Still, this cleanup must not stop with these two latest DPWH officials.

If Dizon is serious about reform, the probe must expand and institutional checks must be enforced. Dizon’s move is a start. But lasting change will require rooting out every official who treats public office as an extension of the contracting business.

The actions taken by Dizon matter. They signal a shift toward stronger vetting and stricter oversight. In turn, the acting DPWH secretary thanked Leviste “for his vigilance in ensuring transparency and accountability.”

Real reform begins when the system stops protecting insiders. Rep. Leviste has taken the initiative with like-minded lawmakers in the 20th Congress as they now hold the power of the purse.