The Palace Press Pitbull vs. the Billionaire Baby: A ₱110-M Bite Fight

When ₱110 Million Becomes the Price Tag on Free Speech

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — January 18, 2026

MGA ka-kweba, welcome back sa Kweba ni Barok. Today, we descend into the glittering cesspool of Philippine power politics, where a young billionaire-lawmaker and a Palace mouthpiece are locked in a ₱110-million libel war that smells less of justice and more of calculated vengeance. Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has unleashed a civil libel complaint against Presidential Communications underling Claire Castro—filed, with exquisite symbolism, in the Balayan Regional Trial Court, deep in his own congressional lair.

This is not mere litigation. This is theater. This is blood sport. And we, the weary spectators, are left to autopsy the corpse of a scandal that exposes everything rotten in our republic: oligarchic entitlement, Palace pettiness, regulatory impotence, and a political culture that prizes vendetta over virtue.

Let us dissect, layer by merciless layer.

**Solar Dreams, Legal Nightmares, and One Oversized Ego**

1. The Duel: Deconstructing the Libel Nuclear Option

Naks, the complaint itself—a masterpiece of wounded pride seeking ₱100 million in moral damages, ₱10 million exemplary, and the usual legal fees. Leviste accuses Castro of spreading “fake news” in her vlogs: that he sold Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC), the holder of a precious congressional franchise under Republic Act No. 11357. He insists he only sold SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC), a mere subsidiary, to Manny Pangilinan’s Meralco PowerGen. A technical distinction, he says. A deliberate lie, she implied.

Legal Theater: Why civil libel in Balayan, not criminal cyberlibel under Republic Act No. 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act? Shrewd, mga ka-kweba. Criminal cyberlibel could jail Castro—bad optics when you’re suing a woman for talking too much. Civil keeps it “gentlemanly”: no handcuffs, just financial crucifixion. ₱110 million is not damages; it’s a death sentence by bankruptcy. A classic SLAPP suit—Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation—designed to terrify critics into silence without the mess of actual imprisonment. Leviste gets to play the aggrieved victim while wielding the law as a garrote.

The Elements Under a Microscope: Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code demands defamatory imputation, publication, identification, and malice. Was Castro’s statement defamatory? Possibly—if it falsely accused Leviste of illegally flipping a public franchise for profit. But was it false? Leviste himself has admitted divesting shares, and SPBC is now “defunct” since 2022. More damning: Ombudsman Boying Remulla is actively probing Leviste for exactly this—alleged franchise violation by “selling” control without congressional nod. If Castro’s claims echo an ongoing Ombudsman investigation, where is the falsity? Where is the malice?

This smells of the fair comment doctrine established in Borjal v. Court of Appeals (G.R. No. 126466), where comments on public figures’ conduct, especially involving public franchises and billions in contracts, are privileged when based on facts and made without actual malice. Castro claims reliance on Remulla himself. Reckless? Perhaps. Malicious? Hardly proven yet.

The “Remulla Shield”: Here’s the exquisite hypocrisy that makes one cackle. Castro points out: Leviste admits the “sale” narrative originated with Ombudsman Remulla. Yet he sues her—a mere messenger—while sparing Remulla, whom he “respects” and who is “a friend of his mother” (the formidable Loren Legarda). So truth from a powerful friend’s mouth is “legitimate”; repeated by a Palace press officer, it’s libelous? This is not law. This is feudal courtesy: sue the serf, bow to the lord. Pure political convenience wrapped in filial piety.

2. The Battlefield: Solar Empires, Fines, and Franchises

Follow the money, always.

The libel suit is a sideshow. The main event is the Department of Energy’s ₱24-billion hammer on Leviste’s parent company, Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., for failing to deliver on over 30 renewable energy contracts—17,900 MW canceled, performance bonds forfeited. Leviste spins this as “regulatory compliance issues.” The DOE calls it quitting. Congresswoman Sharon Garin talks of referring it to the DOJ. This is not noise; this is the explosion at the heart of the scandal.

The Franchise Shell Game: Republic Act No. 11357 granted SPBC a 25-year franchise for microgrids in remote areas—a public privilege, not private candy. Section 15 is crystal: no sale, lease, transfer, or controlling interest shift without Congress’s approval. Leviste sold SPNEC to Meralco, insists SPBC remains untouched and dormant. But Ombudsman Remulla sees a de facto flip: restructuring to transfer benefits while keeping the franchise shell intact. Classic oligarch gymnastics—move the assets, keep the privilege, profit handsomely, then declare the original entity “defunct.” If Remulla is right, this is not savvy business; it’s skirting the Constitution for personal gain. Ethical? Barely. Legal? The probe will tell, but the optics are poisonous.

The “Cabral Files” Counter-Offensive: Leviste, ever the crusader, has been waving the late DPWH Usec Cathy Cabral’s files—alleged proof of ₱20-billion budget insertions in infrastructure projects. Noble anti-corruption? Or masterful dead-cat strategy? While the administration scrambles to defend flood control budgets, Leviste diverts scrutiny from his own regulatory bonfire. Timing is everything: the DOE fine drops, the Ombudsman probe intensifies, and suddenly Castro’s vlogs become intolerable. Coincidence? Please.

3. The Puppet Masters: Motivations, Machinations & Petty Politics

Let us psychoanalyze our gladiators.

Leviste: The young tycoon-turned-lawmaker, once Philippines’ youngest billionaire, now battered by fines and probes. Is this suit brand protection? Certainly. SLAPP to chill speech? Undeniably. But deeper: a neophyte legislator who dared criticize administration spending (via Cabral files) now facing “friendly fire.” He plays victim while wielding oligarch power—venue-shopping in his home court, nine-figure damages to intimidate.

Castro: Palace press officer turned vlogger-warrior. Rogue truth-teller? Hardly. Loyal attack dog executing Malacañang’s counteroffensive against an administration critic? Far more likely. Her reliance on “official sources” (Remulla) shields her, but her reckless amplification borders on propaganda. She cries “silencing,” yet wields the Palace megaphone.

Both are creatures of the same swamp.

Dissecting the Petty Vendetta Playbook: This saga is peak Philippine politics—governance subordinated to score-settling. Personal attacks over policy. Character assassination over accountability. Nitpicking corporate structures while energy security burns and corruption festers. The libel suit distracts from ₱24 billion in failed contracts, franchise probes, and DPWH insertions. Everyone loses except the lawyers and the ego.

4. The Precedents & The Prophecy: Law, Outcomes, and Implications

Jurisprudential Arsenal: Philippine courts have weapons against such abuse. Borjal v. Court of Appeals protects fair comment on public interest absent actual malice. The actual malice standard echoes in our jurisprudence for public figures—Leviste must prove Castro knew her statements false or recklessly disregarded truth. Qualified privileged communication shields reports on official conduct. If Castro’s words track Remulla’s probe, this case crumbles.

Scenario Analysis: Victory for Leviste? Damages awarded, chilling effect ripples—critics pause before touching oligarch-politicians. Settlement? Likely: quiet retraction, case dropped, both claim moral high ground. Dismissal? Most probable: court finds protected speech on public concern, exposes the suit as SLAPP. Each outcome signals: big damages entrench impunity; dismissal revives speech but not trust.

The Kingdom’s Fate: This erodes everything. Public trust in business-legislators? Shattered. Faith in regulatory bodies? Mocked when fines and probes feel like political weapons. Journalism and commentary? Frozen—who risks ₱110 million for questioning franchises? Institutions meant to police oligarchy and Palace alike look toothless, politicized.

5. The Summation & The Call to Arms

Verdict of the Court of Public Opinion: Guilty—all of them. Leviste: guilty of weaponizing law to silence legitimate scrutiny while his empire faces righteous reckoning. Castro: guilty of reckless Palace partisanship masquerading as journalism. The system: guilty of fostering a culture where vendetta trumps virtue, and public interest drowns in private feuds. This spectacle is absurd, sordid, and utterly Philippine.

Reform or Perish: Enough. Decriminalize libel—enact robust anti-SLAPP laws to punish frivolous suits. Tighten franchise rules: automatic revocation for non-performance, mandatory transparency in corporate restructurings. Depoliticize the DOE and Ombudsman—appointments beyond presidential whim. And culturally? Burn the petty playbook. Demand principled debate, not personality wars. Punish obstructionism at the ballot box.

Until then, the cave echoes with laughter—bitter, knowing laughter—at princes and sirens dancing on the graves of good governance.

May your evenings be free of libel summons and your mornings free of ₱110-million invoices.

— Barok

Custodian of receipts, sovereign of ridicule