THE Office of the Ombudsman on Friday ordered the preliminary investigation of Sen. Loren Legarda, her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, and former Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi in connection with more than P10 billion worth of solar projects.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office will look into the alleged “Legarda-Leviste Solar Energy Network,” where the respondents allegedly conspired to secure exclusive government rights over the country’s solar energy resources through legislative and regulatory maneuverings.
The Ombudsman said the scheme resulted in more than P10.44 billion in unpaid debts after several projects were not developed as promised.
“We really suffered because of what they did. They obtained exclusive solar power contracts that produced ‘ghost electricity,’” Remulla said.
Many of the contracted projects were never built or were only partially completed, he added.
Legarda was included in the complaints because Leviste would not have secured the Solar Para sa Bayan franchise in 2019 without the assistance of his mother, who was then chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Remulla said.
The Ombudsman filed complaints for alleged violations of Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees; and RA 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Law.
The case follows a complaint filed by the Department of Energy before the Department of Justice in May against Leviste and five officials of Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. accusing the company of failing to provide electricity to remote, unviable, unserved and underserved areas as required under its franchise.
In a statement on Friday, Legarda said the accusations were “utterly baseless.”
“All my public life since 1998, I have always upheld my integrity, which I hold dearly. This allegation is a taint on my person that is totally undeserved,” she said.
Legarda said neither she nor her camp has received any official communication from the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the charges.
She appealed to the public to carefully assess the circumstances surrounding the allegations, particularly their timing and nature.
“We remain confident that once the facts are laid bare, we will be vindicated and our names cleared,” she said.
The Office of the Ombudsman has yet to publicly release the complete complaint documents detailing the specific acts attributed to each respondent.
Remulla, however, has maintained that his office pursues cases based on evidence and without favor or prejudice, consistent with its anti-corruption mandate.
In previous statements regarding other high-profile cases, the Ombudsman has underscored that no public official is exempt from investigation when warranted by evidence.
Legarda, who has served as senator since 1998 with interruptions during her terms as House deputy speaker and representative of Antique, said she is prepared to address the allegations through the proper legal processes once official documents are served.
