Loren Legarda, Leandro Leviste face plunder, graft complaints over solar projects

WINNER. Businessman Leandro Leviste is proclaimed winner of the congressional race in Batangas 1st District on May 13, 2025. Leandro Leviste's FB (1st UPDATE) 'Plunder, tapos (then) 3019, 3(h), 3(i), and 3(e). Conflict of interest is one of them,' says Ombudsman Remulla MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman announced on Friday, July 31, that plunder and graft complaints are currently pending against Senator Loren Legarda and her son Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste over the latter’s solar energy projects. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said on Friday that the complaints are currently under preliminary investigation. This means they are at the final step of the probe, and prosecutors will now decide whether these complaints will be filed before the courts. “Plunder, tapos (then) [Republic Act No.] 3019, 3(h), 3(i), and 3(e). Conflict of interest is one of them,” said Remulla. RA 3019 is the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Sections 3e, 3h, and 3i refer to the following: “(e) Causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. This provision shall apply to officers and employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other concessions. “(h) Directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest. “(i) Directly or indirectly becoming interested, for personal gain, or having a material interest in any transaction or act requiring the approval of a board, panel or group of which he is a member, and which exercises discretion in such approval, even if he votes against the same or does not participate in the action of the board, committee, panel or group.” Last January, Remulla said Leviste was being investigated for “flipping” his firm Solar Philippines to tycoon Manny Pangilinan after securing a franchise to put up solar microgrids in select provinces nationwide during the Rodrigo Duterte administration. “Kasi dapat yun yung franchise ‘di dapat ninenegosyo yun e. Batang-bata binebenta mo yung franchise, wala ka bang kahihiyan? Anong klaseng Pilipino yan?” he said. (A franchise shouldn’t be made into a business. He’s so young yet he’s selling a franchise, has he no shame? What kind of Filipino are you?) “National franchise, renewable energy, critical to the national life tapos ganun lang? Tapos, ‘bebenta mo, fi-flip mo lang? Nanay mo [Loren Legarda] pa senador,” Remulla said. (National franchise, renewable energy, critical to national life and then you sell just like that? You sell it, you flip it. And your mother is even a senator.) Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11357 into law on July 31, 2019, providing a franchise to Leviste’s Solar Para Sa Bayan Corporation. Leviste denied also in January that he took advantage of the franchise granted in 2019 to his company, Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation, for personal gain. “Wala akong bineneta na prangkisa na kumita ako,” he said. (I did not sell any franchise where I earned a profit.) More details to follow. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading