MANILA, Philippines – Mariing kinondena ni Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto ang tangkang panunuhol ng isang district engineer ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) kay Rep. Leandro Leviste kapalit ng pagbitiw nito sa imbestigasyon sa kwestyonableng flood control projects.
“This brazen act reflects a seeming culture of impunity that may have been tolerated in the past. If this has been the practice in previous administrations, let it be known that under my leadership, such a system will find no refuge here in Batangas,” saad sa pahayag ni Santos-Recto.
Sinabi ng gobernador na “corruption has no place in Batangas” at iginiit na “every peso of public funds must go to projects that serve our people, not into the pockets of the corrupt.”
Pinuri naman ni Recto si Leviste “for standing firm and choosing integrity.”
Matatandaan na naghain na ng reklamo si Leviste sa Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office laban kay Abelardo Calalo, DPWH district engineer para sa first district ng Batangas.
Inakusahan ng mambabatas si Calalo ng direct bribery, corruption of public officials, at paglabag sa Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act maging ang Code of Conduct for Public Officials. RNT/JGC
