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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Naka-ilang vlog na po siya': Leviste sues Castro for libel over solar power firm remarks

'Naka-ilang vlog na po siya': Leviste sues Castro for libel over solar power firm remarks

Published Jan 16, 2026 12:47 pm  |  Updated Jan 16, 2026 02:48 pm

At A Glance

  • Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has filed a libel case against Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro over her comments about the solar energy company he established and subsequently divested from.
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (left), PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro (Facebook, PPA)
Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste (left), PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro (Facebook, PPA)


Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has filed a libel case against Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro over her comments about the solar energy company he established and subsequently divested from.
Accompanied by his counsel, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Leviste went to the Balayan, Batangas Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Friday morning, Jan. 16 to file the case.
Leviste, 32, is the founder of SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC). Power distribution giant Meralco bought Leviste's controlling stake in his company for around P34 billion in 2024.
"Hindi ko po ibinenta ang prangkisa dahil wala akong kumpanyang may prankisa...Ang ibinenta kong kumpanya ay walang prangkisa (I did not sell a franchise because I don’t own any company with a franchise...The company I sold had no franchise)," the rookie solon told reporters in a chance interview at the RTC.
Leviste claimed that while he didn't want to cause any harm to the Palace official, he felt compelled to defend his name.
"Hindi ko naman po nais na masaktan si Usec. Claire Castro ngunit kailangan ko lang pong depensahan ang aking pangalan, dahil naka-ilang vlog na po siya tungkol sa akin at ayon po sa advise ng aking lawyer...napakarami pong grounds," he noted.
(I also do not wish to hurt Usec. Claire Castro, but I need to defend my name, since she has already made several vlogs about me. And based on my lawyer’s advice...there are numerous grounds.)
His lawsuit includes a claim of P110 million in moral and exemplary damages, along with attorney’s fees, arising from the harm allegedly caused by the defamatory remarks.
Leviste said he was mulling additional legal action in response to Castro's alleged "fake news" and "libelous statements".
In a subsequent statement Friday afternoon, Leviste said that the company he sold owned land in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, and that he did not receive a single peso from the government.
All his money came from private business, the Batangueño underscored.

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