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Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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REP. LEANDRO LEVISTE

Alvin Elchico

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176837498335620251229-20th-congress-leviste-MT16.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste claimed on Wednesday that the company he founded “built” the “highest” renewable energy capacity in the country.</p><p>He issued the statement on social media after Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said on Tuesday that Solar Philippines failed to produce the power it comitted to deliver within the agreed timeline. This prompted the agency to cancel several contracts with the firm and impose a P24-billion penalty.</p><p>Leviste’s statement did not directly address Garin’s claim that the company he founded failed to fulfill its commitments in the contract, but the lawmaker said he will respond to the statement issued by government agencies “at the proper forum”.</p><p>“Iginagalang ko ang mga kawani ng gobyerno at tutugon ako sa kanilang mga pahayag sa tamang forum,” Leviste said.</p><p>“Ang kompanyang itinatag ko ay nakapagtayo ng pinakamalaking kapasidad ng renewable energy sa bansa at nakapagdala ng pinakamalaking foreign investment sa Pilipinas noong 2025. Kaunti ang namumuhunan sa ating bansa ngayon dahil sa pananaw na ginigipit ang mga negosyante,” he said.</p><p>“Wala akong nakuhang kahit piso mula sa gobyerno. Ang aking pera ay nagmula sa pribadong negosyo,” Leviste added.</p><p>On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the DOE terminated a total of 17,000-megawatt capacity of renewable service contracts with several companies for failure to fulfill their commitments. She said the Leviste-founded Solar Philippines accounted for over 11,000 megawatts of the total.</p><p>The failure to deliver the agreed-on power supply by December 2025 will mean thinner energy reserves, which could increase prices, Garin said.</p><p>“Marami siyang financial obligations na babayaran sa gobyerno kasi nabahala di lang ang DOE kundi ang buong gobyerno dahil hindi ka nag-deliver kung ano ang sinabi mo,” she told DZMM.</p><p>“Kung hindi natin gagawin ito, baka sumunod ang iba. Kukuha lang ng kontrata, maghihintay ng investor, laway lang ang ibebenta nila. Kailangan may disiplina kasi kikita naman sila dito.”</p><div><strong>‘CABRAL FILES’</strong></div><p>In his statement, Leviste said he had received warnings as early as September that he could face cases if he bares files that he supposedly secured from the late undersecretary Catalina Cabral, who was implicated in the flood control scandal. </p><p>“Mula pa noong Setyembre, sinasabihan na ako na gagawan ako ng mga kaso kung ilalabas ko ang ‘Cabral Files’ at manahimik na lang ako para sa sarili kong kapakanan,” the lawmaker said. </p><p>“Iginagalang ko ang mga kawani ng gobyerno at tutugon ako sa kanilang mga pahayag sa tamang forum. Paumanhin po sa mga natatamaan, pero ang pinaglalaban ko lamang ay ang katotohanan. Lubos ang aking pasasalamat sa mga nananawagan para sa transparency sa paggamit ng pondo ng bayan,” he added. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/3/leviste-hopes-ombudsman-will-release-cabral-files-to-the-public-1412">Leviste hopes Ombudsman will release ‘Cabral files’ to the public</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/8/ombudsman-shuns-talks-on-cabral-files-if-for-publicity-1429">&#x27;Pumunta siya dito&#x27;: Remulla dares Leviste to show up at Ombudsman after comments on &#x27;Cabral files&#x27;</a></div><div><strong>‘WE ARE DOING OUR JOB’</strong></div><div> </div><p>Garin denied that the cancellation of the service contracts was politically motivated. </p><p>&quot;Most of his contracts are due December 2025 so sagad na sobrang sagad na s&#x27;ya. Maybe if we did not cancel, yan ang pulitika because we are regulators, we are doing our job na kailangan we only give contracts to those that are capable, willing and that will deliver the projects eh di talaga nagdeliver e,&quot; said Garin.</p><p>Garin said that while the service deals were not yet commercial contracts to produce power supply for utilities or electric cooperatives, these are important as the government bases its power supply projections on the assumption that these renewable energy facilities are built and ready to provide power.</p><p>Under a service contract, the government guarantees that the clean electricity produced will be bought at a certain price for 20 years by utilities and electric coops. </p><p>In this case, around 12,000 megawatts of future power supply were not realized, making the current supply projections inaccurate.</p><p>Garin said the DOE would work double time to replace the cancelled service contracts with other private entities who are capable of fulfilling contractual obligations.</p><p>She added that under the service contracts, renewal energy sources of energy could have been key in bringing down electricity prices in the country.</p><p>Garin said that had all the 17,000 megawatt projects pushed through, electricity prices could go down remarkably.</p><p>&quot;If you look at our calculations, we will reach 35 percent of renewable energy by 2030 and by 2030, yung P4 to P5 na cost ng per kilowatthour, it will go down to P2. So ngayon we have to catch up,&quot; she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NOT TARGETED</strong></div><div><strong> </strong></div><p>House Infrastructure Committee Co-Chairperson and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon rejected speculations that the DOE’s move was part of efforts to silence Leviste, who was vocal about criticizing the DPWH budget.</p><p>“Wala namang pumipigil pa rin at this point kay Congressman Leviste to say his truth. If tingin niya talaga mayroon pong mga kailangan ayusin sa gobyerno, dapat po talagang supportahan ‘yun. Kung kailangan makapaglatag ng malalimang reporma batay doon sa mga binabanggit po niyang mga dokumento, katulad ng Cabral Files, wala po tayong problema doon,” Ridon said. </p><p>“Pero hindi din natin pwedeng bitawan ‘yung mga abuso doon po sa… una, sa prangkisa kung hindi po niya kinilusan ito, pangalawa doon po sa pagkuha ng mga kontrata pero hindi naman po niya kinilusan... So ultimately he will have to respond to the questions that are being raised by the Department of Energy and by Congress on his franchise,” he added.</p><p>“I think he was never targeted with the DOE disclosure, hindi lang naman po kumpanya niya ‘yung na-kansela ‘yung mga kontrata over non-delivery and non-performance. So, ibig sabihin, no one can actually say na this is an actual attack against him,” Ridon added.</p><p>He expressed support for the Department of Energy’s decision to cancel several contracts with Solar Philippines and other firms that failed to fulfill their commitments.</p><p>“Rightfully so na kinansela po ito. And secondly, and more importantly, kailangan po talagang pagbayarin lahat po ng mga kumpanya na kumuha ng mga kontrata pero hindi po nag-deliver ng kuryente sa ating mga kababayan,” Ridon said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HOUSE PROBE? </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The appropriate House panels can “motu proprio” or on their own look into the possible franchise violations and alleged “non-delivery” of commitments granted to the solar firm founded by Leviste, according to Ridon.</p><p>“I think there is every reason for the franchise committee, even the energy committee to conduct it jointly actually, to do a proper proceeding on the matter. Kasi, I think it&#x27;s ultimately a question of non-operations and non-delivery and non-performance,” Ridon said. </p><div><iframe width="1201" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S62LJpBpyJE" title="DOE fines Leviste’s Solar Philippines P24-B for failed commitments | DZMM Teleradyo" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1201" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nBic8k09LLQ" title="Ombudsman: Leviste presented &#x27;only limited portions&#x27; of &#x27;Cabral files&#x27; | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste defended Wednesday the track record of a firm that he founded as it faced a P24-billion fine imposed by the Department of Energy for failing to deliver on its commitments.</p>

Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste defended Wednesday the track record of a firm that he founded as it faced a P24-billion fine imposed by the Department of Energy for failing to deliver on its commitments.

Leviste defends firm after P24-B fine

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Leviste defends firm after P24-B fine

Alvin Elchico,

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 14, 2026 03:20 PM PHT

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Updated January 14, 2026 04:46 PM PHT

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Garin

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