BATANGAS 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste today presented new documentary evidence indicating that Construction Workers Solidarity Partylist Representative Edwin Gardiola “pre-ordered” over ₱20B of contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) even before the 2025 National Expenditure Program was approved in Congress, noting that Gardiola’s ability to make such arrangements with DPWH may have helped him become the “top DPWH contractor in Congress”.
Leviste released a list from the office of then DPWH Undersecretary Cathy Cabral dated August 30, 2024 of projects that DPWH ended up awarding to companies linked to Gardiola in 2025. Leviste called on Cabral and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan to explain why the projects awarded to Gardiola-linked contractors in 2025 were listed together in 2024. According to Leviste, this evidence could be the missing link for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Ombudsman to establish that Gardiola made arrangements to rig bids in the DPWH.
The list includes budgets for projects in Leviste’s district: ₱514.25 million for roads in Tuy, Batangas that were awarded to Readycon Trading and Construction Corporation (Readycon) and ₱280 million for roads in Calatagan, Batangas that were awarded to S-Ang Construction & General Trading, Inc. (S-Ang) While S-Ang is owned by members of Gardiola’s family, Readycon is not, but Leviste said the project was proposed by and implemented for Gardiola according to officials of the DPWH and Gardiola himself.
Leviste said that, based on his office’s research, companies named to Gardiola’s family members have won an estimated ₱42 billion in DPWH projects from 2001 to 2025. Leviste pointed out that only approximately 1/3 of the projects of Gardiola in his district were under companies named to his family members, and 2/3 were under companies not named to him. Based on his research, Leviste said that Gardiola-linked companies have secured well over ₱100 billion in projects with the DPWH.
Leviste also presented the list of proponents of projects from the DPWH to the ICI, which told him that this was the first time they had seen a list like this. Members of the ICI visited Leviste’s office today to go over the list as part of their investigation. According to Leviste, the ICI said they have not been given unfettered access to DPWH offices or computers, and the lack of documentary evidence on proponents has made it difficult for them to link the proponents of projects to the contractors of projects. ICI Spokesperson Atty. Brian Hosaka in a press conference yesterday said that Leviste’s visit was the first time that Gardiola’s name was mentioned at the ICI.
Leviste said that ICI Commissioner Rogelio Singson told him that Gardiola was the second largest DPWH contractor after Zaldy Co and ahead of the Discaya family. Leviste acknowledged the public’s suspicion that Gardiola is seemingly being spared from DPWH investigations despite being a top contractor, but thanked Congress for allowing him to call for an investigation and the Ombudsman for beginning an investigation on Gardiola’s DPWH projects.
Joining Leviste at the press conference was Jay Manalo Ilagan, the former Mayor of Mataasnakahoy, Batangas, the hometown of Gardiola. Ilagan shared that he has just received a subpoena from the Ombudsman to provide evidence on Gardiola’s DPWH projects. Ilagan expressed hope that Gardiola would be among the first whom the Ombudsman would file cases against this year, saying that investigations would show that Gardiola is in fact the biggest buyer of projects in the DPWH.
