MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda and her son, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, left the country on Aug. 2, according to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag.

In an interview on the program “Ted Failon DJ Chacha,” Matibag said Leviste did not appear in response to an NBI subpoena because he had already traveled to Hong Kong.

“Hindi po um-appear [sa subpoena] kasi po nag-biyahe eh. Umalis po. Positive po ’yan, parehas po sila ni Senator Legarda na umalis,” Matibag said.

He said Leviste departed for Hong Kong on Aug. 2, while Legarda also left on the same date on a different flight, with Hong Kong as her transit point and France as her final destination.

“Si Leandro Leviste po, umalis po noong August 2 papuntang Hong Kong. Si Senator [Legarda] po, umalis noong August 2 rin, magkaiba po na flight via Hong Kong, pero ang final destination is France,” he added.

Both Legarda and Leviste have yet to release their statements as of press time.

Leviste is being subpoenaed and investigated by the NBI over his alleged involvement in a P5-million “honeytrap” or smear operation supposedly intended to falsely implicate Executive Secretary Ralph Recto in a sex and drug scandal.

Legarda, meanwhile, is facing a separate preliminary investigation before the Office of the Ombudsman involving alleged irregularities in exclusive solar energy service contracts.

The Ombudsman has initiated plunder and graft complaints against Legarda, Leviste, former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, and several other individuals.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said he had signed the charge sheet for the preliminary investigation, which precedes the possible filing of criminal cases in court.

According to the Ombudsman, its investigation found that Legarda, Leviste, and Cusi allegedly conspired to obtain exclusive government rights over solar energy resources through legislative and regulatory actions.

The complaints allege violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, and the Plunder Law.

The Ombudsman said several exclusive solar energy service contracts were awarded to corporations allegedly linked to Leviste, but many of the projects were not developed as promised.

It also alleged that the number of contracts awarded resulted in a “virtual monopoly” over solar energy projects.

Remulla said unpaid financial obligations from the terminated contracts were estimated at more than P10.44 billion.

“That P10 billion is only the contracts,” Remulla said. “What our fellow Filipinos lost runs into hundreds of billions.”

He also alleged that Leviste’s company obtained exclusive rights to produce and sell solar energy, limiting the participation of other investors.

“It is as if they own the sun, the power of the sun, to the exclusion of other Filipinos and other investors,” Remulla said.

“They promised they would produce electricity. It’s printed in the Philippine Energy Plan,” he added. “They didn’t do it. They just sold, they just made money. If they built anything, it was a pittance.”

Remulla further alleged that Legarda used her position as then chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance to assist her son in securing the franchise.

“He wouldn’t have gotten it if his mother, the chair of the Senate finance committee, hadn’t helped him,” Remulla said. “She used her position so her son could get the franchise.”

The Ombudsman said the alleged failure to develop the projects eventually led to the sale of Leviste’s solar business, while the government and the public incurred losses.

Separately, the Department of Energy had filed a complaint before the Department of Justice against Leviste and officials of Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation over alleged violations of the Public Service Act.

The complaint cited the company’s alleged failure to provide electricity to remote, unserved, and underserved areas as required under its 2019 congressional franchise.

Legarda and Leviste have denied the allegations.