Ex-military comptroller seeks to avoid prison

MANILA, Philippines — Former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot, who was recently convicted of perjury, has asked the Sandiganbayan to instead place him on probation instead of having him serve a prison term of up to six years.

In his application for probation filed before the anti-graft court’s First Division, Ligot said he is “not among those disqualified offenders” as enumerated in Section 9 of Presidential Decree 968 or the Probation Law of 1976.

Under Section 9 of PD 968, the following offenders shall be disqualified from availing of probation: those who are sentenced to serve a maximum prison term of more than six years; those convicted of any offense against the security of the state; those who have been previously convicted by final judgment of an offense punished by imprisonment of not less than one month and one day and/or a fine of not less than P200; those who have been once on probation; and those who are already serving their sentence before the application of PD 968.

Early this month, the First Division convicted Ligot of six counts of perjury over his failure to declare his ownership of several properties in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for 1998 to 2003.

He was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for each count.

Ligot maintained that he does not belong to the types of offenders disqualified from probation system.

He also informed the court that he no longer intends to file an appeal on his conviction.

Ligot, who is out on bail, became controversial after being implicated in the Armed Forces of the Philippines 2011 scandal involving P1.5 billion in AFP funds allegedly pooled for distribution as send-off money or “pabaon” for generals about to retire.