Ligot wife cites ‘Dara’ as frequent travel buddy

A certain “Dara" had been the constant companion of Erlinda Ligot, wife of former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot, in her more than 40 trips abroad between 1993 and 2004. During Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the alleged military corruption, Mrs. Ligot repeatedly namedropped Dara whenever Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asked her about her 43 travels abroad. Estrada said that based on her travel documents, Mrs. Ligot traveled with Dara 13 times and returned with her 10 times. He, however, did not press the general’s wife to divulge Dara’s identity. Mrs. Ligot, for her part, did not reveal during the hearing who Dara was, but she explained that Dara meant “aunt" in Kapampangan. Estrada, however, had earlier revealed that Mrs. Ligot usually traveled to Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States with Teresita, the widow of the late Defense secretary Angelo Reyes. Reyes, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, committed suicide in early February after he was tagged as a beneficiary in the alleged corruption in the military. During Tuesday’s inquiry, Mrs. Ligot said she only paid for her own airfare four times out of the 43 trips. She said some of the trips were paid for by her friends or were official visits shouldered by the military. She said that Dara never gave her money but admitted that Dara had paid for her airfare at least once. Mrs. Ligot said the trips were usually for vacation and business purposes. She said she also accompanied Dara to sell lots in Pampanga to buyers in the United States. Aside from Dara, Mrs. Ligot said that some of her other companions were the wife of generals including Mrs. Paz Bautista, a certain Mrs. Enrile, and Mrs. Beverly Yan. - KBK, GMA News