MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang dismissed as mere "hearsay" claims that some Cabinet secretaries were among the proponents of the multibillion-peso budget insertions for infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement after Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste claimed that the late DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral gave him documents on Sept. 4, 2025 containing the names of high-ranking officials, including Cabinet secretaries, who were allegedly listed as proponents involved in the agency’s budget insertions. "The Palace will only respond to documents authenticated by the DPWH," Castro said in a statement. "Other than these, they will all be considered hearsay or tsismis, which have no probative value," she added.