A lung condition is behind Senator Loren Legarda’s continued stay outside the Philippines, Senator Migz Zubiri said, describing the veteran lawmaker as still finishing a round of medical examinations abroad.
Zubiri told reporters that Legarda intends to return to the country once those tests are complete. “She wants to come home as soon as possible. Tatapusin lang niya yung tests niya,” he said. He also appealed for patience from Filipinos following her situation, asking that the senator be given room while her health is assessed.
Legarda’s absence from Senate proceedings has drawn scrutiny for weeks. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, she departed for France on August 2, while her son, Representative Leandro Leviste, flew separately to Hong Kong the same day. Her office documented the trip as a medical leave, initially filed under Senate rules for August 3 to 5.
That leave has since been renewed more than once. Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. confirmed a two-day extension covering August 11 to 12, based on notice from Legarda’s office. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano later said on August 18 that the leave had been stretched again — by his count a third or fourth time — extensions he indicated had prompted concern among investigators.
The travel unfolded alongside a preliminary investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman into Legarda and Leviste over graft and plunder complaints valued at P10 billion. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has tied the senator to the matter through an exclusive franchise obtained by Leviste’s firm, Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., alleging she may have helped secure the deal during her time chairing the Senate finance committee.
Legarda has pushed back forcefully. She maintains she broke no law or rule, insists her leave went through proper Senate channels, and has cautioned the public against accepting the accusations without weighing their timing and factual basis. Both she and her son deny any wrongdoing.
This is a sensitive matter involving a person’s health, and details on her condition have not been officially released beyond the general reference to a lung problem.
