MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a criminal case against Batangas Rep. Leandro Antonio Leviste and two corporate officers of Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPSBC) for allegedly failing to comply with the company’s legislative franchise.
The DOJ said an Information was filed before the Makati City Regional Trial Court on Sept. 29, 2026, against Leviste, Hazel Iris P. Lafuente Buencamino and Irma C. Flaminiano, in their capacities as incorporators and corporate officers of SPSBC.
They were charged with violating Section 25 of Commonwealth Act 146, or the Public Service Act, as amended.
The case stemmed from the DOJ’s finding of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction that SPSBC willfully neglected and intentionally failed to fulfill obligations imposed under its legislative franchise.
The development escalated Wednesday after the DOJ confirmed that Makati RTC Branch 235 issued a warrant for Leviste’s arrest, with bail set at ₱72,000.
Lawyer Polo Martinez, DOJ spokesman, stressed that the issuance of the warrant and the conditions of bail were matters within the court’s jurisdiction.
As a general rule, Martinez said, the accused must first submit to the jurisdiction of the courty either through arrest or voluntary surrender, before bail may be granted.
"Thus, if an accused is abroad, he must first submit himself to the jurisdiction of the court before he may avail himself of bail," added Martinez.
"If there is a valid and outstanding warrant of arrest, an arrest may be made on any day and at any time of the day or night. The actual implementation of the warrant, however, is a matter for the appropriate law enforcement authorities," he further said.
SPSBC is a renewable-energy company involved in providing electricity through solar-powered systems. Leviste has been identified as one of the company’s incorporators and corporate officers.
Leviste thanked his supporters and told them not to worry in a Facebook post made amid reports that a Makati court had ordered hhis arrest.
“Thank you to everyone who is supporting me. Do not worry about me, this is only a small matter compared to other things happening. You are the ones I am worried about,” Leviste said in a post on his Facebook account.
Leviste is also facing plunder and graft charges before the Ombudsman over alleged irregularities involving solar energy projects, with the anti-graft body citing more than P10.44 billion in unpaid government obligations.
NBI coordinates with Immigration
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to determine the official immigration status of Leviste and serve a warrant for his arrest.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said Wednesday that authorities would first verify Leviste’s status with the BI as they move to enforce the warrant issued by the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 235.
The NBI-BI coordination is expected to clarify whether Leviste remained outside the country and what immigration records showed about his current status before authorities proceed with the warrant.
The congressman’s camp has previously stated that he was in France attending to his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, as she undergoes medical treatment. His presence abroad was last publicly attributed to this family matter.
Immigration records confirm that Leviste and Legarda departed the country separately on Aug. 2, without any derogatory records at the time of exit. The NBI subsequently reported that while Leviste flew to Hong Kong, Legarda’s destination was France.
Leviste has since been absent from the country amid several investigations.
The arrest warrant represents a new development in the Public Service Act case and means authorities can now move to take Leviste into custody, subject to the court’s process.
Current efforts are focused on tracking Leviste’s whereabouts to execute the warrant. There have been no reports from the NBI confirming an arrest or a voluntary surrender.
