Jinggoy laments lifting of freeze order on Ligot assets

MANILA, Philippines - Senate president pro-tempore Jinggoy Estrada yesterday lamented the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to lift the freeze order on the assets of former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot.

“Although I disagree with the decision of the Supreme Court, we have to respect it,” Estrada said.

Estrada said the Sandiganbayan at one time had frozen the bank accounts of his father, former President Joseph Estrada, during the plunder trial.

He said the bank accounts of his mother Loi Ejercito were also frozen by the courts.

“I am not a lawyer. But in our case, my parents’ accounts with Citibank were frozen,” he said.

Estrada said the Solicitor General should appeal the SC decision.

During the Senate investigation on the Ligots, Estrada uncovered the properties supposedly owned by the couple in the United States that are not listed in the retired general’s statements of assets and liabilities.

Sen. Franklin Drilon, on the other hand, was pushing for the filing of plunder charges against the Ligot couple.

Drilon said that for four years from 2001 to 2005, Ligot had a total of $8,740,742 deposited under his account, as well as the accounts of his wife, his children, and his brother-in-law.

P171 million was also attributed to the Ligots.

Drilon revealed almost all of the money was withdrawn and only around P 73 million was frozen.

The issue was among the causes where lawmakers led by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III supported an impeachment case against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned before the impeach proceedings started in 2011.