‘SUPOT’ NA PAPUTOK

SUPOT. Ito ang tawag namin sa Tundo sa mga paputok na nagmintis o hindi pumutok ng wasto. Palasak ang gamit ng salitang ito tuwing putukan bilang pagsalubong sa Bagong Taon. Maaaring ito na rin ang itawag natin sa paputok ng isang batang mambabatas na anak ng isang senador at kumakatawan umano sa isang distrito ng lalawigan ng Batangas.

Tila isang political stripteaser na sinabik ang sambayanan ng batang mambabatas na tinawag na “Aw-Aw” na maraming netizen dahil itinuring siya na isang DDS. Ngunit ibinisto ni Vince Dizon, kalihim ng DPWH, na ninakaw lang ni Aw-Aw ang tinawag na “Cabral Files” mula sa isang PC ng isang kawani ng DPWH.

Dahil sapilitan ang download ng Cabral Files, hindi pinatotohanan ng DPWH ang hawak ni Aw-Aw. Wala itong batayang legal kahit isiwalat sa publiko ang laman. Hindi ito maaaring gamitin sa anumang forum – kahit sa anumang hukuman, sa Kongreso, o sa publiko. Nanatili itong tsismis, haka-haka, o utot lang ng naimpatsong utak ni Aw-Aw. Sa ganang amin, marapat lang na isakdal si Aw-Aw sa hukuman upang papanagutin sa iba’t-ibang krimen. Lumalabas na isa siyang estafador.

Kaya pinakamaganda na huwag tapunan ng pansin, paniwalaan, o seryosohin si Aw-Aw. Sabi namin sa isang post sa social media: “Tigilan na kasi natin ang pagbibigay ng comment at repost sa mga statement ng mga patapong karakter tulad ni Meow-Meow, Aw-Aw, at Meeeh-Meeeh, ang kambing na anak ng Daga. By commenting and reposting their statements, we’re actually promoting them. Pinasisikat natin sila kahit wala silang ginawa o sinabing tama. Tawag diyan ay ‘HATE PR.’ Sinasadya nilang gumawa ng ikakagalit natin. They’re actually going against the norms. Stop na. We’re actually doing them a favor.”

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MAY nabasa at napulot kami sa social media kung paano naging bilyonaryo sa batang edad si Leandro Leviste. Basahin na lang. Hindi kami magsalita. Kayo na lang ang humusga.

THE BILLIONAIRE WHO BUILT NOTHING

How Leandro Leviste Monetized Political Access and Called It Clean Energy

On October 27, 2025, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste completed the sale of 10.83 billion shares in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) to the Meralco Group for P13.76 billion. Combined with previous transactions, his total proceeds exceeded P34 billion. The business press celebrated this as the culmination of a visionary entrepreneur’s journey from Yale dropout to clean energy titan to public servant.

But here’s what they didn’t ask: What EXACTLY did Meralco buy for P34 billion?

The answer is uncomfortable. Meralco bought contracts, land banks, and government permissions. What they didn’t buy—because it doesn’t exist—is the 10,000 megawatts of solar capacity that Leandro Leviste’s Solar Philippines promised to deliver but never built. They bought paper. Very expensive paper. And the story of how that paper became worth P34 billion is not a tale of entrepreneurial genius. It’s a masterclass in monetizing political access while the nation still waits for the infrastructure it was promised.

Two months after that final sale, on December 24, 2025 — the same day of the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the termination of 84 renewable energy contracts for non-performace—Leandro Leviste released the “Cabral Files” on social media, positioning himself as a crusader against government corruption. The timing was exquisite. While the nation focused on DPWH scandals, few noticed that the renewable energy industry’s biggest contract terminations were announced the exact same day. And fewer still connected those terminations to the congressman now leading the anti-corruption charge.

This is the story of how a 20-year-old college dropout became a billionaire not by building solar farms, but by converting his mother’s political influence into the most lucrative franchise in Philippine renewable energy history. It’s the story of 10,000 megawatts promised and 174 megawatts delivered. It’s the story of P34 billion extracted from a company that delivered 2% of its commitments. And it’s the story of how, when the consequences finally came due, the beneficiary of that system became its loudest critic—attacking everyone except the structure that enriched him.

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MGA PILING SALITA: “He initially projected himself as a technology innovator-son of politician-parents. Iyon pala another carpetbagger. Opportunist.” – PL, netizen, kritiko

“ANG buong akala ng mangmang na si Sara, magpapakamatay sa kanya ang mga opisyales ng AFP. Hindi sila tanga at kamukha niyang mangmang para ialay ang kanilang buhay at career kay Sara. Hindi niya makukuha ang mga opisyales ng AFP para sa pansariling agenda.” – Bobot Fradejas, kolumnista