Ombudsman clarifies Leviste claims

THE Office of the Ombudsman on Monday clarified Batangas Rep. Leandro Antonio L. Leviste only shared a portion of the so-called Cabral files in his possession, as opposed to his claims.

In a video statement, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV said Mr. Leviste only presented “limited portions” of the files when investigators approached him while former Undersecretary Maria Catalina E. Cabral was still alive.

“This differs from the Congressman’s public statements suggesting that the full Cabral files had already been shown to or reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman,” Mr. Clavano said.

He added that the most reliable sources of documents come from those agencies and individuals who had custody, control, or authorship of the computers, storage devices, and files, not from circulating copies.

He further warned that soft copies in editable formats such as Word or Excel files “inherently lose evidentiary credibility as they are susceptible to alteration, complete context, or manipulation,” and therefore cannot by themselves be treated as conclusive evidence.

Mr. Clavano said the Office of the Ombudsman has taken full custody of the physical hardware containing Cabral files, stressing that the documents represent just one component of its ongoing crackdown on alleged irregularities in government infrastructure projects.

“This allows the investigation to proceed on the basis of an original digital piece of evidence,” Mr. Clavano said, noting that a digital forensic examination of the CPU will be conducted in coordination with the Commission on Audit, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group.

“The Office of the Ombudsman has actually been approached by multiple sources claiming to possess copies of the supposed Cabral files. These claims underscore the importance of distinguishing between original evidence on the one hand and secondary or third-party copies,” Mr. Clavano said.

The Cabral files are alleged to be a ledger of budget “insertions” and infrastructure projects, as well as a purported “kickback scheme” in government flood control and infrastructure projects. The documents originate from the office of Ms. Cabral, a long-serving Pubic Works official who recently passed away after a fall from a ravine. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking