Jinggoy: Ligot's wife sold US house to herself

The wife of former military comptroller Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot once sold a house in the United States to herself. This was revealed Thursday during the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). During the hearing, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada showed a deed of sale indicating that Erlinda Ligot sold a $183,868 property along Stanton Ave. in Buena Park, California to Erlinda Yambao, apparently her maiden name. “Iisang tao lang yan... maliwanag na maliwanag sa mga dokumento (It’s clear in the documents that it’s just one person)," Estrada said. What’s weird, Estrada added, is that she indicated in the deed that she was unmarried.

Mrs. Ligot was present during the hearing but had to leave after her blood pressure shot up to 180/120. Her husband volunteered to answer for her, although he repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination during the questioning. “This information is included in my case (so) I invoke my right against self-incrimination," said Mr. Ligot. Estrada warned Ligot that his repeated invocation of the right will give the perception that he is lying. The retired military general ignored the warning. Ligot had earlier invoked the same right when he was asked whether the accounts of his wife and children were transferred to their friends Maria Cristina and Antonio Laurel. Estrada eventually gave up and said that maybe Mrs. Ligot can answer for herself when she gets better. Mrs. Ligot was accused of purchasing several properties in the US, including a house in Anaheim (reportedly worth $504,000) and Buena Park ($183,868) in California. She twice failed to show up before the Senate to explain herself. During the last hearing, she sent a letter though her lawyer saying that she was confined at the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center (VMMC). — GMA News