House approves franchise for solar firm led by Legarda's son

The House of Representatives on Monday approved a bill granting a franchise to operate to Solar Para sa Bayan, a renewable energy firm headed by Senator Loren Legarda's son, Leandro Leviste.

The House, via a 198-7 vote with one abstention, approved House Bill 8179 on third and final reading on Monday night, paving the way for the Solar Philippines subsidiary's authority to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain distributable power technologies and mini-grid systems across the country.

Prior to its third reading approval, Leviste insisted that the bill stands on its own merit, and stressed that it will help address the gap of more than 20 million Filipinos who do not have 24/7 access to electricity.

“This is not just about [providing sources of] solar energy. This is not about one house but reaching municipalities, larger areas, with its own integrated systems. With this franchise, we can now build solar mini-grids at wala pong gastos ang gobyerno na sa ngayon ay gumagastos ng P50 billion per year to electric distribution utilities," Leviste told reporters.

Addressing criticism that his mother's status has paved the way for the granting of the franchise, Leviste said that "we have taken it upon ourselves to doubly prove the merit of this application" because of such insinuations.

"Karaniwan, humihingi muna ng prangkisa bago magtayo ng proyekto. But for us, we have already established our operations in the 12 worst-served towns in the Philippines, at no cost to the government and at lower cost for consumers," he said.

Leviste also dismissed concerns that his firm could later sell its franchise to the highest bidder on a whim in the near future, saying that the bill granting the franchise to Solar Para sa Bayan prevents any sale or transfer. — BM, GMA News