Senate subpoenas Ligot's wife to corruption probe

The Senate blue ribbon committee has subpoenaed the wife of former military comptroller Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot to Thursday's hearing on the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In an ambush interview Tuesday, committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said that the subpoena was delivered by the Senate sergeant-at-arms and was received by Erlinda Ligot's lawyer. The senator had earlier said they want to question Mrs. Ligot about her foreign travels and pricey real estate purchases abroad while her husband was still in the AFP. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada had earlier revealed that Mrs. Ligot traveled 42 times to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States from 1993 to 2004, 13 of which were with the wife of the late Defense chief Angelo Reyes, Teresita. Reyes, who committed suicide Feb. 8, was accused of receiving payoffs amounting to millions in pesos when he was chief of the AFP, a position he held before he was appointed Defense secretary. Estrada said Mrs. Ligot purchased several expensive properties in the United States, which include a house in Anaheim (reportedly worth $504,000) and Buena Park ($183,868) in California. Guingona said they will have Mrs. Ligot arrested if she fails to show up on Thursday. - Kim Tan/KBK, GMA News