Pushing through with plunder and graft cases against Sen. Loren Legarda and her son, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste, would send a chilling message to companies weighing renewable energy ventures in the Philippines, the senator’s camp said on Friday.
Speaking at a news forum, Atty. Tony La Viña, Legarda’s spokesperson, said prosecuting developers over projects that stall would punish what is an ordinary part of the business.
“These cases, if they are filed, will be a signal to all the renewable energy investors, ‘Wag na kayong pupunta sa Pilipinas, kasi mapa-plunder kayo ‘pag ‘di kayo magpatuloy sa project ninyo,'” La Viña said.
He explained that many projects are dropped after assessment shows they cannot work.
“And natural ‘yon na consequence… regular ‘yon na sitwasyon na ‘di magpapatuloy beyond predevelopment kasi hindi siya viable— walang lupa, walang araw, walang hangin, may katutubo, may magsasaka hindi maka-connect sa grid, maraming dahilan bakit hindi tumutuloy,” he said.
The complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman stem from Leviste’s solar energy businesses, which investigators have tied to more than P10.44 billion in obligations owed to the government. Mother and son have rejected the accusations and have submitted counter-affidavits.
At the center of the case is Solar Para sa Bayan, whose project was never carried out. La Viña acknowledged this but placed the blame on the Department of Energy (DOE), which he said failed to issue the implementing rules and identify the sites where the project would run.
“Totoo ba na hindi na-implement yung Solar ng Bayan? Totoo, kasi ‘di naglabas ‘yung DOE ng rules and regulations and ng places ng mga lugar kung saan ito i-implement,” La Viña said.
Under the law, he noted, a franchise that goes unimplemented for two years is automatically revoked, which is what happened to Leviste’s.
“Because the law provided na once na in 2 years kung ‘di mo siya maimplement… automatically revoked ang franchise mo. Na-revoke siya. Uulitin ko, hindi kasalanan ni Leandro Leviste [at]… hindi kasama si Loren Legarda sa pag-approve, in fact, nag-inhibit siya,” he said.
La Viña also disputed claims that Leviste owes P10 billion or P24 billion, and said the congressman’s projects make up only around 10% of the market, far from a monopoly on renewable energy contracts.
He described Leviste as an unconventional entrepreneur whose aim is to speed up the country’s shift to solar power.
“I want to make it clear: walang kasalanan, walang criminal act na kinommit ‘yung bata, innovator lang siya out-of-the-box lang siya, minsan hindi naiintindihan yung mga moves niya kasi panibagong mga moves, pero importante yung motivation niya to accelerate the solar transition or the just energy transition in the Philippines,” La Viña said.
As for the senator, he argued that her only link to the case is family.
“Having said that, the only accusation against Loren Legarda is nanay ka ng bata,” La Viña said.
Legarda has been on medical leave since August 3 for treatment of a lung illness. She has asked that the leave be extended to October 9 while she continues treatment in France, where Leviste is looking after her.
La Viña urged the Ombudsman to reconsider the complaints and drop them, citing a lack of evidence.
“We would like the government… especially the Ombudsman to reconsider at wag na nilang ituloy ito (not pursue this anymore),” he said.
He pointed to the stricter filing standard adopted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which requires prima facie evidence and a reasonable certainty of conviction before charges are brought. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla introduced the policy during his time as justice secretary.
“Yan din naman ang ano ni Ombudsman Remulla sa DOJ, ‘yung kanyang binago na standard—you do not file a case unless may reasonable certainty ka na maco-convict mo,” La Viña said.
“Ito talagang walang certainty, walang reasonable certainty, walang possibility na ma-convict,” he added.
For now, the camp is treating the complaints as a mistake on the government’s part, he said.
“So, lahat ito, sa tingin namin, benefit of the doubt, nagkamali lang sila. Please reconsider. Please look at your invoices, please look at your bills, please look at the documents. ‘Yun ang una naming hinihingi,” La Viña said.
He has previously called the probe “lawfare,” and said the timing of the complaint against Leviste cannot be brushed aside, given that it followed the congressman’s disclosures on corruption in government.
“Kung magpatuloy sila, I have to say, clearly political ito, di ba? This is lawfare, this is weaponization of the law… This is actually to stop Leandro Leviste speaking about corruption. And parang nag-succeed sila, ‘di ba? Kasi napatahimik nila right now,” La Viña said.
