Congressman Edwin Gardiola, a party-list representative, has been accused by multiple sources of buying Department of Public Works and Highways project line items and selling them to contractors at a markup, while offering kickbacks to district lawmakers to park projects in their areas. Rappler's investigation reveals his brazen approaches to fellow congressmen and ties to DPWH officials. The scheme highlights vulnerabilities in the party-list system and budget allocation processes.
Congressman Edwin Gardiola, the party-list representative for Construction Workers Solidarity, allegedly operates a scheme where he buys DPWH project line items from government gatekeepers and resells them to contractors at a profit, according to several anonymous House sources interviewed by Rappler in October and November 2025.
One source, a former congressional official, recounted: “He approached me in a meeting, and asked me to request projects from the national government. And he said if you do so successfully, I will give you your cut.” Gardiola reportedly offers district congressmen a 5% commission—equivalent to P5 million on a P100 million project—to secure their consent and prevent interference with projects parked in their localities. Party-list representatives like Gardiola lack defined jurisdictions, making such arrangements necessary to protect allocations determined by House leadership.
Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste publicly called Gardiola a “big buyer of project budgets.” In June 2025, before the National Expenditure Program was finalized, Gardiola messaged Leviste about placing projects in his district, verified through communications with district engineer Abelardo Calalo, who was later arrested for alleged bribery attempts. Leviste also claimed Gardiola confirmed paying a P24 million parking fee to his predecessor, Eric Buhain, for P500 million road projects in Tuy, Batangas. Local engineer Isagani Residuo flagged these as overpriced, noting asphalt use over concrete in a flood-prone area, despite Gardiola's push for acceptance.
Another lawmaker-source refused Gardiola's offer for a flood control project but found it inserted anyway—a practice termed “sagasa” in Senate hearings—suspecting Gardiola had already purchased it. Gardiola's family firms, S-Ang Construction and Newington Builders, secured P25.3 billion in DPWH contracts from 2022 to 2025, a sharp rise after his election and appointment as appropriations committee vice chairperson.
Gardiola inherited his party-list from former DPWH undersecretary Romeo Momo and maintains close ties with officials, including a regional chief who called him “boss.” In December 2023, he hosted a lavish Christmas party for Southern Tagalog lawmakers attended by ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, amid the ongoing flood control scandal. Sources describe the scheme as an abuse of the party-list system meant for marginalized sectors, turning politicians into direct participants in corruption. Rappler sought Gardiola's comment multiple times without response.