Legarda, Leviste to return to PH or face arrest, Ombudsman says

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday expressed confidence that Senator Loren Legarda and her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, will return to the Philippines after they left the country on separate flights for France. Legarda and Leviste are under investigation by the Ombudsman in connection with plunder and graft complaints due to the alleged failure of his renewable energy firm to provide solar power as provided under its congressional franchise. Remulla made the statement in light of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag that Legarda and her son Leviste boarded separate flights to France. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Legarda was on medical leave from August 3 to 5 and did not need to secure travel authority. “Babalik ‘yan. Babalik ‘yan. Naniniwala kami na babalik,” Remulla said. (They will come back. They’ll be back. We believe that they will be back.) Remulla said that there will be consequences in the event that the mother and son decide not to come back to the Philippines. “Baka gusto nilang umuwi na nakaposas ‘pag hindi sila, bumalik, hindi ba?” Remulla added. (Maybe they want to come home in handcuffs if they refuse to return.) In a statement, Legarda confirmed that she had gone on medical leave. Surged the public not to draw any conclusions from her leave. “I ask the public not to draw unwarranted conclusions from my travel or link it to the recent false and baseless allegations, which undeservedly besmirch a reputation that I have built over decades of public service," she added. The National Bureau of Investigation earlier announced that Legarda had flown to France while Leviste flew to Hong Kong en route to the country. Ahead of the Ombudsman probe, the Department of Energy (DOE) earlier filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against Leviste and five officials of the Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC) for alleged violations of the Public Service Act. The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against Leviste and five officials of the Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC) for alleged violations of the Public Service Act. According to the complaint, the firm failed to construct and provide electric power to customers and end users in remote, unviable, unserved, or underserved areas as provided under the company’s 2019 franchise, which Congress granted under Republic Act No. 11357. –NB, GMA News