The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it can still collect penalties from Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. if the company is found guilty of charging customers without approval, even if it has already stopped operating.
ERC chairman Francis Saturnino Juan said the regulator can enforce fines using any remaining assets of the company once violations are proven. Solar Para Sa Bayan, founded by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, was given a congressional franchise in 2019 to build micro-grid projects in remote and underserved areas.
The ERC issued a show-cause order against the firm after receiving complaints that it operated and collected electricity payments without first securing ERC approval for its operations and rates. Juan said the commission is reviewing the company’s explanation and will decide on penalties based on established facts.
Records showed Solar Para Sa Bayan did not apply for ERC approval to operate and had no approved electricity rates. Complaints, including those from a municipality in Occidental Mindoro, alleged the company charged customers as much as ₱18 per kilowatt-hour, higher than rates charged by local electric cooperatives.
Juan said operating and charging customers without regulatory approval is a serious violation because it leaves consumers unprotected from potentially unfair pricing. He stressed that the case sends a clear signal to all power generation companies that ERC rules must be followed, regardless of a firm’s size or political backing.
The issue adds to broader scrutiny of Leviste-linked energy firms. Last month, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it would collect up to ₱24 billion in performance bonds and obligations from Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc., another Leviste-founded company, after terminating more than 11,000 megawatts of stalled solar projects.
While the DOE clarified that the cancelled contracts do not involve Solar Para Sa Bayan, the ERC case underscores tighter enforcement across the power sector, highlighting the government’s push to protect consumers and ensure accountability in the fast-growing renewable energy industry.
