Leandro Leviste on arrest warrant: 'Don't worry about me'

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Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday told his supporters not to worry about him following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him over an alleged violation of the Public Service Act (PSA).

“Salamat sa lahat ng sumusuporta. Huwag niyo akong alalahanin, maliit na bagay lang ito kumpara sa ibang nangyayari,” Leviste said in a statement.

(Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me. Don’t worry about me, this is just a small matter compared to what is happening elsewhere.)

“Kayo ang inaalala ko (You are the ones I’m worried about),” he added. He did not elaborate.

On Monday, a Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued the warrant against Leviste over an alleged violation of Section 25 of Commonwealth Act No. 146, as amended by Republic Act No. 11659, or the PSA. Bail was set at P72,000.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of Energy (DOE) with the Department of Justice in May against Leviste and five officials of Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC).

The DOE alleged that the company failed to construct and provide electric power to customers and end users in remote, unviable, unserved, or underserved areas, as required under its 2019 legislative franchise granted through Republic Act No. 11357.

Leviste is currently in France, where he has been taking care of his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, who is on medical leave, according to their spokesperson, lawyer Tony La Viña.

In a separate Facebook post, La Viña denied the allegations against Leviste and SPBC.

“There is no crime committed here by Leandro Leviste nor his company Solar ng Bayan which was granted a franchise by Congress in 2019,” he said.

La Viña said SPBC was not a public utility covered by the PSA. He also argued that the franchise was never implemented because the DOE failed to issue the necessary rules and regulations and identify the areas where it could be implemented.

Because of this, La Viña said the franchise was “ipso facto revoked,” or automatically revoked under the law.

He also described the DOE complaint as “a complaint looking for a crime.”— MCG, GMA News

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