📷: Former Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain
In a stunning on-air revelation, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste confirmed that his predecessor, former Olympic swimmer Eric Buhain, is the “big fish” allegedly linked to a bribery scheme involving a local district engineer caught in an entrapment operation.
“The big fish really here is the district congressman,” Leviste told Bilyonaryo News Channel, moments after host Pinky Webb directly named Buhain.
The engineer, arrested for attempting to bribe Leviste, reportedly implicated Buhain during their conversation. Leviste, who unseated Buhain in the last elections, said the bribe offer could’ve reached up to 10% of a project’s total cost—part of a broader pattern of kickbacks embedded in public works.
Horizontal projects like roads? Kickbacks range from 15% to 20%. Vertical buildings* like hospitals? SOP is a cool 10%.
“Actually, he said it in sweeping terms—lahat ng mga projects ay meron,” Leviste added, painting a damning picture of systemic corruption.
Buhain, son-in-law of ex-Arroyo executive secretary Gen. Eduardo Ermita, succeeded his wife Eileen Ermita in Congress before losing to Leviste. The scandal now threatens to unravel a political dynasty long entrenched in Batangas.
Leviste, whose net worth reportedly stands at ₱34 billion following the sale of his solar firm to Manny Pangilinan’s Meralco, has positioned himself as a reformist voice, one now facing the murky depths of entrenched corruption. ( ZIA LUNA)
