(UPDATE) BATANGAS 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has filed a cyber libel suit against Palace Press Officer Clarissa “Claire” Castro for claiming that Leviste sold his companies without prior approval from the House of Representatives.
Leviste was accompanied by his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, at the Balayan Regional Trial Court to file the charges.
He is asking for P110 million in moral damages and P10 million for exemplary damages, as well as P1 million in attorney’s fees.
Speaking to reporters after the filing, Leviste said he filed the case against Castro for her statements related to Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., which was recently fined P24 billion by the Department of Energy (DOE) for failing to deliver its commitments to the government.
Castro said in her vlog that Leviste sold Solar Philippines and Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC), another solar company of Leviste, without the approval of Congress.
She added that the SPBC’s franchise was granted by former president Rodrigo Duterte as a political favor.
“I never sold the franchise because I don’t have a company that has a franchise that I sold. What I sold does not have a franchise,” Leviste said, referring to SP New Energy Holdings, which was sold to Meralco in 2024.
“There are so many grounds to file a case on Castro for libel,” Leviste said.
He reiterated that while he still owns a substantial stake in Solar Philippines, he has turned over the company’s day-to-day operations and is in the process of fully divesting his stake.
In a subsequent press briefing, Leviste said he is amused that Castro has been creating content that involves him.
He also revealed that since he got the files from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), he has been forewarned that some individuals might file cases against him.
He also revealed that he has been subjected to death threats after he received the files related to the budget of DPWH, and opted not to attend the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing scheduled on Monday.
In a statement on Friday, Castro called Leviste’s cyber libel suit an attempt to prevent her from speaking about issues related to the lawmaker’s solar energy business.
“Filing this case is the real way to stop me from speaking out and discussing these issues,” she said.
“Here’s the question now: Who is really behind the filing of this case against me? Who wants to shut me up? Who stands to benefit the most from this?” Castro said.
She said she has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, and her response was based only on Leviste’s public statements.
She said Leviste himself admitted in an interview that information regarding the alleged sale of a company with a government franchise came from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
The congressman “admitted in an interview that the source of information about selling the company with franchise was Ombudsman Remulla. However, he said he will not file a case against the Ombudsman because he respects him, and he is a friend of his mother,” Castro said.
“Is he going to file a case against me just because I am not a friend of his mother, and he does not respect me?” she said.
Castro also questioned why statements attributed to the Ombudsman were being treated as valid and non-maligning, while her own remarks — sourced from the same official — were being labeled libelous.
She also said it would be better if the lawmaker focused on the issues presented by the DOE against his firm.
“Aside from that, Congressman Leviste admitted that he is no longer the owner of Solar Para sa Bayan (which holds the franchise) because he has already divested his shares. He himself is the source,” Castro said.
