Manila: An official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) advised the public on Monday to exercise caution when releasing government documents to the public. DPWH Undersecretary Rico Bernabe III emphasized the importance of verifying documents before announcing them to the public. 'Validate documents before making them public,' he said in a statement, and noted that "verified and credible" documents are available on their Transparency Portal.
According to Philippines News Agency, Bernabe made the reaction following a document allegedly obtained by Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste from a DPWH staff and presented in a press briefing and on his social media page. It shows that the department allegedly funded the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients program of the Department of Health in 2024.
Bernabe denied that the department issued such a document. 'It really looks like it was just put on a letterhead, but we don't have such a document,' he said. 'And if you look at the document itself, it doesn't have a signatory. It was just slapped on a letterhead, misrepresenting and purporting to be a DPWH document."
