DEPARTMENT of Public Highways district engineer Abelardo Calalo was released on a P150,000 bail after being jailed for an alleged bribery attempt on a Batangas congressman amid the flood control project controversy. 

On August 22, Calalo was arrested on a special operation for allegedly trying to bribe over P3,000,000 to Batangas 1st District Congressman Leandro Leviste. 

This is to persuade the congressman from launching an investigation into the controversial flood control projects .    

The investigation later revealed that the suspect supposedly offered P3,126,900 worth of bribes to the congressman, which was later taken by the authorities as evidence. 

As revealed by Leviste, Calalo mentioned several contractors who are willing to offer 5 to 10 percent of their project cost. 

However, he then refused to name those contractors and had only revealed that the said contractors are businessmen who had the largest share of the projects in his district. 

Calalo was later put under the custody of Taal Municipality Police Station, facing the charges of corruption while facing the charges for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. 

On Thursday, Batangas Police Colonel Geovanny Emerick Sibalo stated that the DPWH engineer was released after posting the P150,000 bail.