No politics in canceled contracts of Leviste firms – DOE

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January 16, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has maintained that politics is not the reason why renewable energy contracts tied to firms owned by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste were canceled.

Leviste earlier claimed that the cancellation is tied to his exposés in the so-called Cabral files – the unverified documents allegedly left behind by public works undersecretary Catalina Cabral, which supposedly intended to prove corruption in the highest echelons of government.

Garin said the cancellation of contracts had begun as early as 2024, when the flood control controversy was not yet on anyone’s radar.

“In 2024, we terminated 15 of his contracts already. There were no ‘Cabral files’ back then,” Garin told One News’ “Storycon” yesterday. “We fined him back then also.”

“Even before that, this is a regular activity that the Department of Energy (DOE) does and it’s our job to regulate all these stakeholders because, yes, we give them the contracts, but they’ll earn from this transaction anyway,” she stressed.

“Every end of the year, we do this, and I think it’s an unfair statement to say that because you’re telling us not to do what our mandate is,” she added.

Over the past two years, the DOE has canceled 33 of 43 contracts awarded to Solar Philippines Power Plant Holdings Inc. for being deemed “zombie contracts,” with the firm incurring penalties of P24 billion.

These deals account for more than 11,400 megawatts of the total capacity of all contracts terminated in 2024 and 2025.

Garin said Solar Philippines never communicated with the DOE despite being served with show-cause orders to explain why nothing was happening with the deals.

The firm applied for contracts under the DOE’s green energy auction program to fast-track renewable energy development by allowing distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to procure green energy at competitive rates through actions.

Meanwhile, Solar Para sa Bayan Corp., a congressional franchise holder operating microgrids in remote areas, has not processed any project with the DOE.

“It’s Congress that will determine if there was any violation or if such inaction is tantamount to violation already,” Garin said.

She admitted that the terminated contracts are “not good” in the country’s renewable energy targets.

“Yes, it’s not good, but we’ll reach our targets because we have foreseen this and we have plans to make up for the terminated contracts,” Garin said.

“But it’s just like a signal that we don’t want investors like this in our country. If you commit to delivering to the people this number of megawatts, then you’ll do nothing. We don’t want that,” she pointed out.

‘Watch your words’

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has advised Leviste to watch his words and brace for backlash for being vocal about corruption.

“With all the brickbats and criticisms hurled against him, let us be thankful that we have someone like Leviste who shares what he knows even if it implicates his colleagues,” Lacson said at Wednesday’s Kapihan sa Senado forum.

Leviste on Wednesday thanked Lacson and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon for their statements that they will subpoena the “Cabral files.” – Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Jose Rodel Clapano