President Rodrigo
Duterte has signed into law a bill granting legislative franchise to Solar Para
Sa Bayan Corp., which is owned by Leandro Leviste, son of former senator Loren
Legarda.
Presidential
Legislative Liaison Office chief Adelino Sitoy confirmed that Duterte signed on
Wednesday Republic Act 11357 or “An Act granting Solar Para Sa Bayan Corporation
a franchise, etc.”
The new law allows the
Leviste firm to “construct, install, establish, operate and maintain”
distributed energy resources and microgrid systems for 25 years.
It also authorizes the
company to supply remote, unviable, unserved or underserved areas in the
provinces of Aurora, Batangas, Bohol, Cagayan, Camiguin, Compostela
Valley, Davao Oriental,
Isabela, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and
Tawi-Tawi.
Earlier, several
business groups asked Duterte to review the Solar Para sa Bayan
bill, saying it would “put at a disadvantage other renewable energy
companies” in the country.
The company promotes
itself as a social enterprise looking to provide cheap electricity to Filipino
households, particularly in areas without access to power, through renewable
energy sources.
The solar firm aims to
help achieve the government’s goal of 100 percent electrification, as well as
affordable and reliable electricity for all Filipinos by 2022.
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