or the past two years they have been buying/renting valuable farm land here in Luzon to put up solar panels. We even had thugs looking for Kuya to ask him if he wanted to sell our land to them.
https://www.pvknowhow.com/news/nueva-ecija-solar-project-impressive-778-mw-milestone/
So with all the corrruption in the news, I asked Grok to check about corruption.Overview of the Nueva Ecija Solar ProjectThe Nueva Ecija solar project refers to MTerra Solar (also known as Terra Solar), a massive renewable energy initiative spanning 3,500 hectares across Nueva Ecija and Bulacan provinces in Central Luzon, Philippines. Developed by a partnership between Solar Philippines (founded by Rep. Leandro Leviste) and Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen, part of the Manuel V. Pangilinan group), it is set to be the world's largest single-site solar photovoltaic farm paired with battery energy storage.
Key details include:Capacity: 3,500 MW solar generation and 4,500 MWh battery storage. Cost:
Approximately P200 billion (about $3.5 billion USD).
Timeline: Groundbreaking led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 21, 2024; first phase (1,000 MW) on track for completion by 2027, with full operations by 2028.>{?..... Impact: Expected to generate over 5 billion kWh annually, powering 2 million households and reducing CO2 emissions by 4 million tons per year. It received Board of Investments (BOI) green-lane certification in August 2024 for fast-tracked incentives.......
The project has progressed ahead of schedule, with 54% of first-phase works completed by July 2025, and recent engineering contracts awarded to Chinese firms in October 2025.
emphasis mine.
Investments include $600 million from UK-based Actis in 2024.\
Corruption Allegations and Related Incidents
No direct corruption, graft, or bribery allegations have been publicly leveled against the MTerra Solar project itself based on available reports.
The initiative has faced some operational challenges, such as transmission line delays leading to an earlier consideration of exiting a related site in 2024, but these are logistical rather than corrupt.
Environmental and community concerns have been raised by activist groups, citing potential land displacement and ecosystem impacts on 3,500 hectares of farmland, but these do not involve financial misconduct.
However, the project's co-developer and Solar Philippines founder, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, has been at the center of a high-profile anti-corruption effort in August 2025. While unrelated to the solar project (focusing instead on public works in his home district), the incident highlights Leviste's "zero-tolerance" stance on graft, which he has emphasized in his dual roles as lawmaker and businessman:
The Bribery IncidentDate and Details: On August 22, 2025, Abelardo Calalo, then-DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer, was arrested in Taal, Batangas, after attempting to bribe Leviste with P3.12 million during a meeting at Leviste's office. The cash was presented in envelopes as a "donation" or "standard practice" commission (3% of contract values totaling P104.2 million). Purpose: Calalo allegedly sought to dissuade Leviste from pursuing a congressional probe into irregularities in three DPWH flood control and road projects awarded earlier in 2025:
Road widening in Lian town (P50.18 million). Maintenance of flood mitigation structures and drainage (P39.2 million). Road construction in Lemery town (P14.9 million). Connection to Contractors: The bribe funds reportedly came from TopTech Trading and Construction Co., a firm with 27 DPWH contracts worth P1.45 billion in Batangas. TopTech is owned by the godchild of former Batangas Rep. Ma. Theresa "Maring" Lazaro-Buhain, whom Leviste later tagged as a "big fish" in the scheme.
Outcomes:Leviste coordinated with police for an entrapment operation and filed charges against Calalo for direct bribery (Art. 210, Revised Penal Code), corruption of public officials (Art. 212, RPC), and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019). In September 2025, Leviste amended the complaint to include TopTech. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan suspended Calalo indefinitely and fired him; Bonoan called the act "deserving of jail time." Calalo denied the allegalllllltions, claiming political entrapment by Leviste, and was offered a chance to become a state witness against higher-ups but refused.llllll The scandal led to broader scrutiny, including Leviste retracting some later claims against a DPWH undersecretary in October 2025 to avoid unfounded accusations
Leviste has positioned this as part of a larger fight against "deep-rooted" DPWH corruption, including overpricing and favoritism in contracts. Some online discussions (e.g., on Reddit and Facebook) speculate on larger bribe amounts (up to P360 million in unverified claims), but official reports confirm P3.12 million. Critics, including opinion pieces, question Leviste's motives, suggesting his probes leverage his business interests, but no evidence ties this to MTerra Solar.]\
Broader ContextThe Philippines has faced ongoing graft issues in infrastructure, notably a separate 2025 flood control scandal implicating senators and costing billions in taxpayer funds. Leviste's refusal has been praised as a model for public servants, potentially boosting investor confidence in renewables amid global concerns over corruption delaying projects. If you're referring to a specific aspect (e.g., land permits or funding), provide more details for deeper analysis. just posting for me to read later.
No comments:
Post a Comment