Leviste franchise akin to ‘ghost project’–lawmaker
The franchise controversy involving an energy firm linked to Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste should be investigated, emphasizing that it is no different from a “ghost” project, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said over the weekend.
Adiong was referring to the claims that Leviste allegedly sold the franchise of his firm, Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC), which was granted a congressional franchise under Republic Act No. 11357 in 2019 to build, install and operate solar-powered microgrids in remote areas.
In a Saturday news forum, Adiong noted that should the claims be true, “abandoning obligations after securing such authority could be viewed as akin to a ghost project.”
“When you sell it because you’re just trying to escape, what’s the difference between that and ghost projects where you have an obligation to do something and then you escape? So there’s no difference,” Adiong said.
“I don’t know if there’s already a resolution that has been filed to investigate this case. So I think we really need to look at this issue, covering the issue on Solar Philippines.”
According to Adiong, the granting of a franchise is “not a right” but a “privilege” granted to the person who received it. “That means, it’s a state right … you can’t sell it.”
Leviste recently denied that he sold the franchise of SBPC.
He earlier filed a civil libel complaint against Malacañang Palace press officer Claire Castro for claiming that he “sold or flipped the franchise granted to him without the required congressional approval [and that] the grant of the same to him was an unwarranted favor from President Duterte.”
Leviste also argued the franchise was automatically revoked and rendered moot in 2022 following the Department of Environment (DOE)’s failure to issue implementing rules and regulations.
He added that the firm that he actually sold was the SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC)—his company that did not have a franchise—to Meralco.
‘P24-B fine’
In the same news forum, Adiong said the issue of Leviste’s Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. (SPPPHI), which was recently slapped by the DOE with a P24-billion fine for failing to deliver power it committed to produce, should also be investigated.
“This is a valid concern that I guess the House of Representatives should look into because there seems to be a corporate layering to obfuscate the issue at hand,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, if these claims were proven, there would be a need for legislative assessment since “franchises and service contracts are anchored on performance, compliance, and the public interest.”
Leviste earlier denied that SPPPHI failed to deliver its targets, pointing out that the projects were not given permits to proceed. He also said that the P24-billion fine appeared to solely apply to SPNEC.
