Castro demands P500M in damages from Leviste for ‘ruining’ her integrity

MANILA, Philippines — Palace press officer Claire Castro on Monday demanded P500 million in damages from Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste for allegedly “ruining” her integrity.

The demand came in response to Leviste’s social media post on Sunday, where he said he does not have an obligation to compensate Castro for the “sleepless nights and anxiety” caused by the cyber libel complaint he filed against her. However, he added that he is willing to cover her medical expenses if she needs treatment.

READ: Leviste files P111 million libel raps vs Palace spox Castro

“Okay, P500 million damages, it is part of my compulsory counterclaim, as I believe that because of twisting some facts in the complaint, it ruined my integrity as Palace Press Officer. I believed that I deserved and I am entitled to such damages,” said Castro at a press briefing when asked for a comment on the lawmaker’s post.

She also said, “Good, very good, he admitted that he is causing me sleepless nights and anxiety. So, that will be part of the case.”

In January this year, Leviste filed a civil libel complaint against Castro, accusing her of spreading false information about his businesses.

The neophyte lawmaker is seeking P100 million in moral damages, P10 million in exemplary damages, and P1 million to cover attorney’s fees. 

He accused the Palace official of “defaming him” by claiming that he illegally sold off the franchise for Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC), one of his companies in the power sector.

SPBC was awarded a congressional franchise through Republic Act No. 11357 in 2019 to construct, install, and operate solar-powered microgrids in remote areas.

In the same month, the Department of Energy slapped a P24-billion fine against Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. (SPPPHI), the mother company of Leviste’s solar business, for failing to produce power it committed to deliver under more than 30 service contracts with the government.

Leviste, however, denied that SPPPHI failed to deliver its targets, saying this was because most of its projects were not granted permits to proceed. /mr