ASSISTANT Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that the agency finds the medical leave of Senator Loren Legarda and the two-month foreign travel of her son, Congressman Leandro Leviste, “suspicious.”
Also read: Legarda, Leviste leave PH amid probes over P10-B solar project irregularities
In a press conference, Clavano said Leviste obtained travel authority for different countries from July 26 to September 24, while Legarda’s extended medical leave is set to expire on August 19.
“Senator Loren Legarda, I believe, is in the third or fourth extension of her travel authority for medical reasons, which we have begun to find quite suspicious already,” he said.
“On the one hand, you have a congressman who has left the country for an intended two months, visiting all these different countries. And on the other hand, you have a senator who has constantly extended her travel leave or her medical leave. So to us, of course, we want to err on the cautious side of things. We need to flag that because she has an ongoing case here in the Office of the Ombudsman,” Clavano added.
Clavano said the mother and son are reportedly both currently in France.
He said the agency is not discounting the possibility that the two lawmakers may seek asylum in France.
On July 31, 2026, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Legarda, Leviste, and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi would undergo a preliminary investigation over complaints for plunder, graft, and conflict of interest stemming from a controversial P10-billion solar energy project.
The complaints stemmed from the alleged grant of exclusive rights over solar energy service contracts, which Remulla claimed caused significant losses to the government and the public.
Remulla said Leviste’s project failed to deliver its intended commitments despite securing exclusive contracts covering large areas for solar energy development. He claimed the arrangement prevented other investors from participating in the sector.
He said Legarda may have used her influence while serving as chairperson of the Senate finance committee to help her son secure an exclusive franchise when he was still in his early 20s.
Leviste, founder of renewable energy firm Solar Philippines, has long been one of the country’s most prominent advocates of large-scale solar power development.
His company pursued numerous solar projects nationwide through solar energy service contracts and sought to accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energy.
Leviste is also being investigated over an alleged “honeytrap” scheme that allegedly targeted several Cabinet officials. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)