The removal of a former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official came after he allegedly tried to endorse a lawmaker to Secretary Vince Dizon to secure infrastructure projects, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste said on Friday.
Leviste, in a radio interview with DZRH – transcripts of which were provided by his office – claimed that former Undersecretary Arrey Perez is allegedly connected to CWS party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, whom Perez supposedly tried to introduce to Dizon.
But when Dizon learned of this and other allegations linking Perez to contractors, Leviste said the undersecretary was fired from his post.
‘I thank Secretary Vince Dizon because after his internal investigation, he ordered the removal of an Assistant Secretary and a Director IV that were brought in by former Usec. Arrey Perez, who himself is a contractor. That’s why it appears that contractors are not only inside Congress but also in the DPWH,’ Leviste said in Filipino.
‘The former Undersecretary of DPWH, Arrey Perez, is connected to Congressman Gardiola, and Secretary Vince Dizon eventually learned about this. That’s why Arrey Perez was removed. When they were talking, Usec. Arrey Perez tried to endorse Congressman Gardiola to Secretary Vince Dizon so that he could get government contracts,’ he added.
According to Leviste, Perez allegedly has ties with Gardiola because he has been in Batangas for a long time. Both Leviste and Gardiola hail from Batangas province.
‘Arrey Perez has been in Batangas for a long time, and that is where he met Congressman Gardiola. But again, I thank Secretary Dizon because when he learned about this, he had Usec. Arrey Perez removed along with the two officials he brought in,’ he added, speaking Filipino.
Gardiola has been accused by Leviste of pre-ordering contracts within DPWH – the practice of assigning projects to contractors at the National Expenditures Program (NEP) level. The NEP is the budget submitted by the executive branch to Congress, which indicates that projects may have been predetermined before the House of Representatives deliberates on the proposed budget.
In a press briefing last November 19, Leviste presented a document supposedly given by former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, which showed several items labeled as ‘CENTI2025’ – infrastructure projects in different areas, including Leviste’s own district.
A week after Leviste’s claims, Gardiola denied any involvement in anomalous infrastructure projects, adding that he will answer allegations hurled against him at the right forum. In a previous statement, Gardiola said he was ‘disheartened’ to hear his name mentioned in several allegations because such claims are ‘untrue.’
Perez resigned from DPWH last October after he was linked by Leviste to flood control contractors, with Dizon saying that the former official wanted to avoid being a ‘distraction’ to the DPWH.
On Wednesday, two more DPWH officials – an assistant secretary and a director allegedly brought in by Perez – were reportedly removed after they were accused of having ties to contractors.
INQUIRER has asked Dizon for confirmation if Gardiola was indeed endorsed to him by Perez, and if he blocked such an attempt. Dizon, however, has not replied as of posting time.
Over the past few weeks, Leviste has made several claims regarding the infrastructure corruption issue. Aside from his allegations against Gardiola, Leviste claimed that the DPWH knows who are the proponents behind P721.8 billion in insertions in the agency’s budget for 2025, and another P496.9 billion for the upcoming 2026 budget cycle.
Leviste said he cannot watch the DPWH claim to be for transparency when it is allegedly hiding the people behind the insertions in the 2025 and 2026 National Expenditures Program (NEP), the budget submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to Congress