BATANGAS First District Representative Leandro Leviste has taken legal action against Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, filing a P110-million civil libel complaint over statements she made about his renewable energy business.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, Leviste filed the complaint Friday, January 16, 2025, before the Regional Trial Court in Balayan, Batangas.
In the complaint, the lawmaker alleges that Castro’s repeated online comments and vlog posts contained “libelous statements” that have damaged his reputation, particularly regarding the sale of the franchise of Solar Para sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC).
He maintained that his intent in filing the case was to defend his name, not to harm Castro personally.
“Hindi ko po binenta ang prangkisa dahil wala akong kumpanyang may prangkisa na binenta ko,” Leviste said at a press conference.
(I did not sell a franchise because I did not have any company with a franchise that I sold).
“Ang binenta kong kumpanya ay walang prangkisa at hindi ko naman pong nais na masaktan si Sec. Claire Castro, ngunit kailangan ko lamang pong depensahan ang aking pangalan,” he added.
(The company I sold had no franchise, and I do not intend to hurt Sec. Claire Castro, but I only need to defend my name.)
The rookie lawmaker clarified that the company he sold was SP New Energy Corp., which is now a subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp. and had a renewable energy service contract for a 280-megawatt solar project in Nueva Ecija.
In response, Castro said the complaint is an attempt to silence her commentary on matters of public interest.
She said the legal move raises questions about who might benefit from curbing her voice and challenged the notion that her statements were made with malice.
Although she has not yet received the formal complaint, Castro, who is also a lawyer, argued that if her information was sourced from official channels, including statements that implicated issues tied to regulatory and oversight bodies, then it should not be categorized as libelous. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)