Leviste sees move to gag him; Garin cites his firm’s ‘2%’ output
Embattled Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, whose solar energy company faces hefty sanctions for failing to fulfill its government contracts, on Wednesday doubled down on his intention to expose the so-called Cabral files, which supposedly detail the multibillion-peso corruption in flood control projects.
This as Energy Secretary Sharon Garin shot down speculations that the government’s mass cancellation of power contracts, including those with Leviste’s company, was influenced by politics.
In a statement on his Facebook account, the neophyte congressman said the P24-billion fine slapped by the Department of Energy (DOE) on Solar Philippines Power Plant Holdings Inc (SPPHI), the company he found and his profile as the country’s youngest self-made billionaire, was but an attempt to silence him.
“Since September, I have been told that I would be slapped with trumped-up charges if I released the ‘Cabral Files’ and that I should just shut up for my own sake,” he said. “I respect our government and I would respond to their actuations in the right forum.”
“Pardon to those who might feel slighted but I am only fighting for the truth, and I am grateful for those who echo my call for transparency in the use of public funds,” he added.
Underperformance
The fines by the DOE came after Leviste made headlines for obtaining the infrastructure budget files from the office of the late Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral.
The files supposedly showed how the so-called “Cabral formula” was applied to determine the equitable share of each legislative district in the “allocable” budget of the DPWH, but was instead used for patronage and corruption.
The DOE said it was not singling out Leviste, but emphasized that SPPHI had a history of underperforming on its targets.
Apart from the fines, the DOE also canceled idled contracts with SPPHI including 33 secured under the Green Energy Auction Program and some agreements outside GEPA between 2014 and 2019.
In response, Leviste—who promised never to accept his monthly salary as congressman—maintained that he has not earned a single peso from the government and that his money “came from private business.”
“My money comes from private business. The company I founded has built the largest renewable energy capacity in the country and brought the largest foreign investment to the Philippines in 2025. Few people invest in our country today because of the perception that entrepreneurs are being oppressed,” he said.
As a public official, Leviste is expected to have divested from SPPHI and all other similar business ventures that could trigger a conflict of interest.
No politicking
Garin said there was no politicking with the termination of the contracts.
Out of more than 11,000 megawatts of committed capacity, the energy secretary said, SPPHI only delivered about 2 percent, leading to P24 billion in penalties.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Garin said on Wednesday, noting that the DOE has even been “considerate” since it waited until the last day of the projects’ committed delivery.
The DOE chief said they would consider if the company explained the delays in implementation, but she reiterated that “there hasn’t been any communication at all.”
“So what do we do? We stop regulating because there’s politics going on? I will not do that. We’re protecting the industry,” Garin said.
She added that it was not only SPPHI that had terminated contracts.
SPNEC’s appeal
Meanwhile, SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) wants the DOE to revive its terminated solar project while at the same time distancing itself from Leviste.
Although one of its projects received a termination notice, the company said it was still working closely with the DOE regarding the facility’s viability, after facing force majeure.
The solar facility involved was the 280-megawatt (MW) Santa Rosa Nueva Ecija 2 Solar Project, which was under GEAP, which seeks to accelerate the growth of renewable energy capacity in the local market.
In 2024, SPNEC requested for the project’s termination due to transmission challenges. But it also floated the possibility of relocating the planned solar development, as it maintained its commitment to help increase the share of renewable energy in the power mix.
“The company is in discussions with the Department of Energy regarding said force majeure claim and intends to request for the reconsideration of the termination,” it said in the filing Wednesday.
SPNEC noted that this development has “no adverse impact … on the overall business, operations, and financial condition of the company.”
It also clarified that it was “not the Solar Philippines mentioned in the news articles,” although the latter is one of its stockholders.
The company is now under the power business of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, as Leviste unloaded the majority of his stake in SPNEC.
