Executive Secretary Ralph Recto on Tuesday urged the public to be wary of “natural born liars” and those who engage in “psychotic sideshows” that he said only divert public attention from the many challenges and pressing issues confronting the country.
In an official statement, Recto said he did not want to expose the lies of “someone who lacks attention, lacks thought, and lacks love,” but stressed that there is a limit to his patience, especially when baseless allegations and slander against him continue.
Recto said the allegations against him were insulting and upsetting, but he initially chose to keep quiet out of respect for his former colleague, Senator Loren Legarda, the mother of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste.
He said Legarda had even apologized to him because she knew he could not accept the lies allegedly made by a “bitter brat, prone to tantrums, even bad mouthing the woman who gave birth to him in front of many people”.
“Sa kanyang baluktot na pag-iisip, lahat ng mga bagay ay for sale: tao, dangal, posisyon. True to form, reports have reached us about how he engineered a massive vote-buying operation in Batangas, unprecedented in history,” Recto said.
“Kaya’t nais kong linawin, noong nanalo si Leandro, nanumpa siya sa akin dahil mayroon siyang paulit-ulit na hinahangad: ang makamkam ang libu-libong ektarya mula sa hacienda ng tubo sa Nasugbu. Wala akong kakayahang pagbigyan ang isang maituturing na agaw-lupa,” he added.
Recto accused Leviste of spending money to discredit him, claiming this was driven by his lust for power and attention, as well as an attempt to divert public attention from the P24-billion fund that his company allegedly pocketed for ghost solar projects.
The Executive Secretary also denied having direct ties with Construction Workers Solidarity party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, saying Gardiola was actually his political rival. He said he only worked with Gardiola in 2022 out of respect for a fellow Batangueño congressman.
Recto also denied involvement in any ghost projects or flood control projects. He said all projects he sponsored as a lawmaker were supported by proper documentation, completed, and benefited the public.
He described Leviste as a deranged and dangerous person “who will even skin his loved ones, and use their skin to drumbeat his empty achievements to feed his narcissism”.
Recto also called Leviste a leading national inventor of lies who allegedly resorts to falsehoods to evade accountability and divert attention from his own misdeeds.
“May mga mahahalagang hamon na nangangailangan ng ating buong atensyon at aksyon… Balik na tayo sa trabaho. Sa Batangas kasi may kasabihan: ‘Wag pansinin ang asong ulol na kahol nang kahol’,” Recto said.
“Dahil maraming pagsubok tayong hinaharap. Hindi dapat pag-aksayan ang isang barker sa circus na kung kailangan ay kakain ng bubog para mapansin siya,” he added.
Leviste earlier called on Congress to investigate the alleged connection between Recto and Gardiola, claiming the two officials may be linked to attacks against him.
He said the alleged attacks against him started after he looked into Department of Public Works and Highways projects in Batangas that were supposedly tied to the Rectos and Gardiolas.
Recto denied the allegations, maintaining that he has no ghost projects, no flood control projects, and no improper connection with Gardiola.
READ Recto’s full statement.