FACT-CHECKING THE “BUGAW” PLOT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST REP. LEANDRO LEVISTE

I normally don’t spend much time chasing stories like this. Political tsismis is everywhere, and most of it goes nowhere.

This one landed in my inbox because someone asked whether there was any truth to it. Since people were already asking, I figured it was worth looking into.

I also want to acknowledge something.

I deleted my earlier post about this story because there were mistakes in it. After going back through the reporting and verifying the facts again, I also found additional information that should have been included.

Rather than quietly editing the old post, I’d rather publish a corrected and more complete version. If I get something wrong, I’ll correct it. That’s how Morning Coffee Thoughts should work.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has said it will subpoena Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste and former Rep. Jing Paras after an arrested talent manager alleged the two were connected to a plan to fabricate accusations against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.

What follows separates what the NBI has publicly alleged, what has been independently reported, what remains disputed, and what still has little or no credible evidence behind it.

THE CORE ALLEGATION

According to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, an arrested talent manager told investigators that former Rep. Jing Paras asked him to recruit four women to sign false affidavits accusing Executive Secretary Ralph Recto of forcing them to use illegal drugs and have sex with him.

Matibag said the women were allegedly promised a total of ₱5 million. The payment was reportedly divided into three parts: 30 percent after signing the affidavits, 40 percent after a case had been filed, and the remaining balance while the case stayed active.

Matibag also identified Leviste as the alleged financier of the operation.

These are allegations disclosed by the NBI during an ongoing investigation. They have not been tested in court, and neither Leviste nor Paras has been found guilty of any offense.

WHAT THE NBI SAYS IT FOUND

The NBI said investigators recovered Viber conversations from the talent manager’s phone and linked the messages to a phone number confirmed to belong to Paras.

Investigators also said they were able to recover deleted messages through digital forensic examination.

According to Matibag, those conversations indicated the alleged operation was being planned after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address.

The NBI has not publicly released the complete conversations, so independent examination of the messages is not yet possible.

CLAIMS OF A WIDER OPERATION

Matibag also said a cyber warrant executed on the talent manager’s phone uncovered conversations involving other unnamed personalities.

He said investigators were looking into the possibility that the operation formed part of a broader politically motivated effort.

Matibag further said other Cabinet officials and senators could have become targets if the alleged plan had succeeded.

At this point, however, the NBI has not publicly identified those supposed targets or presented evidence showing that specific individuals had already been selected.

THE CONFLICTING ₱25 MILLION VERSION

A different version of the story has also circulated online.

According to that version, five women were each promised ₱5 million, bringing the total to ₱25 million. It also claims Recto had supposedly been warned in advance by a showbiz writer.

Those details do not appear in the NBI’s public statements and currently rely on anonymous sourcing.

Because they conflict with the version publicly attributed to the NBI, they should be treated as unverified unless independent evidence emerges.

Recto has said he is leaving the investigation to the NBI.

THE ARREST

NBI-NCR agents arrested the talent manager during an operation at a five-star hotel in Malate, Manila.

The bureau said five female artists were found during the operation and are being treated as possible victims.

Different news organizations have referred to the arrested man as a talent manager, a pimp, or a suspect. Those reports appear to be referring to the same individual.

WHAT THE SUBPOENAS MEAN

A subpoena is not a criminal charge.

It simply requires a person to appear or provide information as part of an investigation.

As of the latest reporting, neither Leviste nor Paras has been criminally charged in connection with these allegations.

Leviste has publicly denied any involvement.

NAMES CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Several social media posts have attempted to connect other public officials to this case.

One frequently mentioned name is Benhur Abalos, who now serves as Cabinet Secretary after previously serving as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Other posts refer to a supposed “Secretary Jonri.”

So far, no official NBI statement or credible news report has linked Abalos, current DILG Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla Jr., the Office of the Ombudsman, or any Cabinet official using the name “Jonri” to this investigation.

At least based on the information currently available to the public, those claims remain unsupported.

THE BACKGROUND

The allegations surfaced against the backdrop of an existing political dispute between Leviste and Recto.

The May 2026 plunder complaints involving the transfer of approximately ₱60 billion from PhilHealth and ₱107 billion from the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation to the national treasury were filed by health reform advocate Tony Leachon, not by Leviste.

Recto suggested that Leviste or opposition figures may have been behind the complaints. Leviste denied this and instead claimed that disgruntled people inside the administration were responsible. Recto rejected the accusations and maintained that the fund transfers were legal.

That dispute explains why the two men were already in conflict. It does not, by itself, establish that Leviste participated in the alleged operation now under investigation.

WHERE THE CASE STANDS

Several facts are already on the public record.

The NBI arrested a talent manager. The bureau says it recovered digital evidence from his phone. It has announced that Leviste and Paras will be subpoenaed. Leviste has denied any involvement.

Beyond that, much of the case remains exactly where it should be, inside an ongoing investigation.

Whether the allegations eventually lead to criminal charges, or ultimately fail for lack of evidence, will depend on what investigators are able to prove, not on what is currently circulating on social media.