A legal challenge is set to be initiated this week by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste against a senior communications official, following online remarks that he says damaged his reputation and misrepresented the status of his renewable energy ventures.
Leviste is preparing to lodge a cyberlibel complaint against Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, citing what he described as “libelous statements” made in a series of vlogs discussing his solar energy operations. The complaint is scheduled to be filed at 9:30 a.m. before the Regional Trial Court in Balayan, a venue that falls within the jurisdiction of Batangas’ first district, which Leviste represents in Congress.
In a separate interview with dzBB, the lawmaker directly rejected claims circulating online that he had disposed of his congressional franchise for Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. The company was granted authority under Republic Act No. 11357 to build, install, and operate solar-powered microgrids intended to serve off-grid and remote communities.
Leviste said the online content repeatedly implied wrongdoing on his part and questioned why the undersecretary’s commentaries appeared to focus on him specifically. He added that the insinuations went beyond policy discussion and crossed into personal attack.
The dispute unfolds as the Department of Energy has imposed a P24-billion penalty on Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., the parent firm of Leviste’s solar companies, over its failure to deliver committed power output under more than 30 government service contracts.
