Rowegie Abanto

1st District of Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press after the ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget during a plenary session on Monday, December 29, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

REP. LEANDRO LEVISTE

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/176844525827520251229-20th-congress-leviste-MT15.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Rep. Leandro Leviste speaks to the members of the press. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— Energy Secretary Sharon Garin on Thursday defended the agency from allegations that the termination of government contracts secured by the company of Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste was influenced by his attempt to release the so-called &quot;Cabral files.&quot; </p><p>The Cabral files allegedly contained lists of insertions in the national budget as well as their proponents that the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/19/who-was-catalina-cabral-and-how-could-her-death-affect-flood-control-probe-1455">late public works undersecretary Maria Catalina &quot;Cathy&quot; Cabral </a>supposedly held.</p><p>Cabral had been implicated in the flood control corruption scandal for allegedly arranging insertions in the national budget that would later fund anomalous infrastructure projects.</p><p>In a statement, Leviste claimed that he had received warnings as early as September that he could face cases if he reveals the files that he supposedly secured from Cabral. </p><p>&quot;Mula pa noong Setyembre, sinasabihan na ako na gagawan ako ng mga kaso kung ilalabas ko ang &#x27;Cabral Files&#x27; at manahimik na lang ako para sa sarili kong kapakanan,&quot; he said.</p><p>In a Facebook post, the first-term House member also said, citing an unnamed source, that people close to contractor and lawmaker CWS Party-List Rep. Edwin Gardiola and to other unnamed public works contractors were behind the &quot;attacks&quot; against him.</p><p>&quot;Ang mga taong dapat imbestigahan ay may impluwensiya sa mga nag-iimbestiga,&quot; he also said without naming anyone.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;SO UNFAIR&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>But Garin pointed out that the Department of Energy had been cancelling his government contracts in the past.</p><p>&quot;I was hesitant nga to cancel because of the Cabral files baka madali yung DOE dito, but we cannot not terminate just because he&#x27;s a politician, that would be the other way around,&quot; Garin told ANC.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s so unfair to say na nag-warning ng September… We&#x27;ve been warning him for since 2019, 2020, 2021,&quot; she said.</p><p>The DOE has said it is imposing <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/1/14/doe-fines-leviste-s-solar-philippines-p24-b-for-failed-commitments-1151">P24 billion in fines on Solar Philippines Power Projects Holdings</a>, a firm founded by Leviste, for failing to deliver on its commitments.</p><p>Garin said the agency is canceling a total of 163 power supply service contracts, totaling 17,000 megawatts.</p><p>And of this number, Solar Philippines held 28 contracts, totaling 12,000 MW or 60 percent of DOE projections.</p><p>Garin stressed that the DOE&#x27;s actions on Leviste&#x27;s Solar Philippines were aboveboard and noted that as a regulator, &quot;we need to discipline our investors.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/14/leviste-defends-firm-after-p24-b-fine-1520">Leviste defends firm after P24-B fine</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/41VzN6batrg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S62LJpBpyJE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Energy Secretary Sharon Garin on Thursday defended the agency from allegations that the termination of government contracts secured by the company of Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste was influenced by his attempt to release the so-called "Cabral files."</p>

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin on Thursday defended the agency from allegations that the termination of government contracts secured by the company of Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste was influenced by his attempt to release the so-called "Cabral files."

'It's so unfair': DOE chief says fine, contract termination vs Leviste firm unrelated to 'Cabral files'

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'It's so unfair': DOE chief says fine, contract termination vs Leviste firm unrelated to 'Cabral files'

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 15, 2026 10:55 AM PHT

|

Updated January 15, 2026 12:40 PM PHT

Read More:

Solar Philippines

Sharon Garin

Leandro Leviste

Department of Energy

DOE

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