19/10/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞?
🏛️ 𝐀 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
In a Congress often ruled by compromise and routine, one proposal has broken through the noise — a call to cut project costs by 25% and redirect the savings to build classrooms.
The proposal came from Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste, who has argued that the true reform lies not in new spending, but in spending honestly.
It’s a call that resonates far beyond partisanship — because the issue isn’t who said it, but whether it’s right.
In his October 6 Open Letter to DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon, Leviste outlined two urgent actions:
1️⃣ Lower the Detailed Unit Price Analysis (D**A) and Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) by 25%.
2️⃣ Disclose the real proponents behind insertions in the 2026 DPWH budget.
The logic was simple: overpricing enables kickbacks; transparency disables them.
Former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo later admitted that the Department’s 2026 plan contained projects that were “𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.”
In other words, nearly every project was budgeted far beyond its true cost.
And in a nation where every padded peso could have built a classroom or repaired a bridge, that isn’t merely inefficiency — it’s moral negligence.
⚖️ 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝
This 25% cost-reduction proposal isn’t complex economics; it’s common sense governance.
💰 Cut the fat.
🏫 Build more classrooms.
No new taxes.
No new debt.
Just fiscal integrity.
But while the House of Representatives approved the budget 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, the battle isn’t over.
The Senate now holds the chance to prove that institutional reform is still possible — if the public keeps the pressure alive.
DPWH Secretary Dizon has welcomed Leviste’s suggestions but deferred action to 2027, a year too late, according to reform advocates.
Each year of delay is a year of normalized kickbacks and inflated contracts, a hidden cost paid by every taxpayer.
“𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2027 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴,” Leviste said.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸.”
That call deserves public reflection and civic amplification.
🔍 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲
The debate has also reignited discussion about integrity inside the DPWH itself.
Calls for transparency, accountability, and background checks on officials allegedly linked to contractors have led to a resignation within the department — not as proof of guilt, but as proof of the system’s fragility.
The message is clear: reform cannot depend on personalities.
“𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮.”
Because replacing names without changing values isn’t reform. It’s rotation, a cosmetic surgery on a cancer-ridden system.
🧭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬
Political scientists call it 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮. Sociologists call it 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴. But in Filipino, we simply call it 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯.
When citizens think critically, decide courageously, and act collectively....reform becomes inevitable.
This is not about one man or one department; it’s about whether government still belongs to the governed.
🇵🇭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞
The House has spoken.
Now, the Senate decides whether to stand with reform or preserve routine.
This isn’t just a budget vote....it’s a moral referendum on how public money is valued and protected.
Will we be a — a people that stand for reform, reason, and responsibility?
Or remain a — silent, compliant, and complicit?
That 25% “cut” isn’t just a policy number. It’s the invisible tax every Filipino pays when corruption is left unchecked.
🗣️ 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
We urge the Senate to take a principled stand — to adopt fiscal reforms that reflect the people’s demand for integrity.
And we call on citizens to make their voices heard, not in anger, but in vigilance.
Because the real defense against corruption is not outrage.
It’s sustained participation.
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About iamibaan
iamibaan is a civic-thought platform rooted in the belief that authentic local leadership and informed citizenship are the foundation of national reform.
We challenge comfort, confront complacency, and call for character, because change begins where conscience awakens.
Our mantra: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 • 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 • 𝐀𝐜𝐭.
When a community learns to 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 critically, 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 courageously, and 𝐚𝐜𝐭 collectively, that’s when reform becomes real.
