ILOILO City — Antique students in the University of the Philippines (UP) urged Sen. Loren Legarda and son Cong. Leandro Leviste of Batangas to return to the country and answer graft and plunder allegations over solar power projects now under preliminary investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman.
In a statement, UP Antiqueño, an organization of students with roots in Antique province, said the allegations against the mother and son raised questions about accountability, conflict of interest and the possible intersection of public office and private business interests.
The group issued the statement as scrutiny of Legarda’s continued absence from the Senate intensified following several extensions of her medical leave and after the Ombudsman announced the preliminary investigation.
“We refuse to remain silent while the democratic trust of our people is compromised by political convenience, institutional influence, and unresolved allegations of graft and plunder,” UP Antiqueño said.
The organization urged Legarda and Leviste to return to the Philippines and directly respond to the cases, while also seeking an independent audit of infrastructure, energy and development funds allocated to Antique during Legarda’s term as the province’s lone district representative from 2019 to 2022.
It also called on Antiqueños, particularly the youth, to demand development programs that are “institutional, transparent and sustainable” rather than dependent on individual politicians.
The students said Antiqueños should not allow provincial loyalty to discourage scrutiny of public officials.
“Our love for Antique must compel us to critical vigilance,” the group said. “We must never allow our provincial pride to be weaponized to shield politicians from scrutiny.”
Ombudsman probe
The statement comes nearly a month after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed on July 31 that Legarda, Leviste and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi were under preliminary investigation over solar energy projects.
Many of the projects were allegedly not developed as committed despite obtaining extensive government rights over solar energy projects through legislative and regulatory actions.
According to the Ombudsman, terminated contracts involving Leviste’s Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. resulted in more than P10.44 billion in unpaid financial obligations to the government. Leviste’s companies had secured more than 30 government service contracts.
Remulla had also alleged that Leviste could not have secured the contracts without the influence of Legarda, who was chair of the Senate committee on finance at the time.
Legarda has strongly rejected the accusations, describing them as “utterly false and baseless.” She has maintained that no public funds were involved and said she was prepared to establish the truth.
Leviste has also disputed allegations surrounding his solar projects and earlier characterized the investigation as an attempt to intimidate him.
His Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. was granted a 25-year congressional franchise in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11357 to construct and operate solar-powered distributed energy systems and mini-grids.
The franchise proposal had drawn opposition from some lawmakers even before its enactment, with critics at the time questioning the breadth of the authority being sought by the company.
Questions surrounding the case intensified after immigration and National Bureau of Investigation officials confirmed that Legarda and Leviste left the Philippines on Aug. 2, shortly after the Ombudsman publicly disclosed the investigation.
They left on separate flights for Hong Kong, with France identified as Legarda’s final destination. Immigration authorities said neither had a derogatory record that would have prevented their departure.
Leviste had obtained authority for overseas travel from July 26 to Sept. 24 and listed several countries he intended to visit, according to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano.
Legarda, meanwhile, initially went on medical leave from Aug. 3 to 5 and subsequently sought several extensions.
Her latest leave covers Aug. 24 to 26 and Sept. 1 to 2. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has said Legarda is suffering from a serious illness, although he declined to disclose its nature. He also said she had voluntarily waived her Senate salary while on leave.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier said Legarda had told him she was experiencing a lung problem requiring medical attention. Lacson also dismissed reports that she was seeking asylum abroad as “fake news.”
Legarda has rejected the Ombudsman’s characterization of her repeated leave extensions as suspicious, saying she had followed Senate rules and should not be subjected to accusations simply for exercising her legal rights.
A preliminary investigation does not establish guilt. It determines whether sufficient evidence exists to warrant the filing of criminal charges./PN
