A student organization based at the University of the Philippines Visayas has called on Senator Loren Legarda and her son, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, to return to the Philippines to confront the graft and plunder complaints lodged against them before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The call from UP Antiqueño came via a Saturday statement amid an ongoing preliminary probe into Legarda, Leviste, and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi regarding an alleged “ghost” solar initiative valued at more than ₱10 billion.
“We demand that Senator Loren Legarda and Congressman Leandro Leviste return to the Philippines, exhaust no further medical leave extensions,” the organization stated.
“And directly answer the plunder and graft complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman,” it added.
Legarda is currently on her fourth extension of medical leave, spanning active Senate sessions as well as the Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment proceedings from August 24 to 26 and September 1 to 2.
“Public office requires public accountability, not flight, procedural delays, or medical convenience,” UP Antiqueño asserted.
The Ombudsman had previously expressed concern over the lawmaker’s consecutive leave filings while the inquiry progresses. Legarda has denied the allegations, casting doubt on the timing and character of the probe.
In addition, the student group urged an independent audit of public infrastructure, energy, and developmental funds allocated to Antique to verify that public money was not directed to private entities or family enterprises.
Legarda served as Antique’s lone district representative from 2019 to 2022 prior to her Senate return.
“Genuine development in Antique must be institutional, transparent, and sustainable—independent of the political fortunes of any elite family,” the group emphasized