(UPDATE) PUBLIC Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday denied allegations by Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste that he authorized budget insertions, or so-called “allocables,” for flood control projects during his tenure as head of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), calling the claims baseless, malicious, and unsupported by evidence. In a statement, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said the accusations falsely suggest that discretionary or unofficial funds were used for flood control projects coursed through the BCDA. “Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon categorically denies the baseless and malicious allegations made by Rep. Leandro Leviste regarding supposed ‘insertions’ or ‘allocables,’” the DPWH said. “The BCDA, which Secretary Dizon formerly headed, has already issued a clear statement that it has no flood control projects that are funded through budget insertions, ‘allocable funds,’ or any discretionary source. Any claims of ‘allocable’ or discretionary funding for such purposes are baseless and false.” Dizon, who led the BCDA during the Duterte administration, also questioned the timing and circumstances surrounding Leviste’s claims. According to the DPWH, the allegations emerged amid reports from some department personnel accusing Leviste of forcefully and illegally obtaining documents from the office of the late former DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral. Leviste earlier released what he described as summary files of the proposed 2025 DPWH budget, which he claimed were provided to him by Cabral before her death. The documents allegedly showed budget insertions involving lawmakers and Cabinet officials. However, the DPWH said the files have not been authenticated and questioned how they were obtained. The department said some DPWH personnel reported that the files were taken without authority from Cabral’s office and that data were copied from her computer using a personal flash drive. Leviste has denied these allegations, maintaining that he did not illegally obtain the documents and asserting that the files were voluntarily shared with him. He has also challenged Dizon to come forward and authenticate the documents he released. In a separate statement, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority also rejected Leviste’s claims, emphasizing that it neither receives nor controls discretionary funds and has no role in budget insertions. “No such funds exist within BCDA projects or its authority. Claims to the contrary are unsupported by evidence and false,” the BCDA said. The agency said all its projects are financed solely through approved government programs and are implemented under the General Appropriations Act. Funds for BCDA projects are released through the National Treasury and are subject to procurement laws, audit rules of the Commission on Audit, and multiple layers of oversight. “BCDA’s records are complete, traceable, and auditable, with project funding, approvals, procurement, and disbursements accessible to oversight institutions,” the agency said. It added that the BCDA enforces a zero-tolerance policy for corruption through strict compliance with the law, standardized frameworks that limit discretion, and close coordination with oversight bodies. Several officials and political figures — including Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Sen. JV Ejercito, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, and even Leviste himself — have said budget insertions in themselves are not automatically illegal. Such insertions only become unlawful if they are proven to facilitate fraud, misuse public funds, or finance nonexistent or “ghost” projects.