Jinggoy cites Ligot and wife for contempt

Jinggoy Estrada was stumped by the continuous invocation of the Ligot couple of their right to self-incrimination. Mrs. Ligot admitted having land in Muntinlupa, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and other lands that she stated are included in the pending cases against them. Estrada threatened the couple with contempt. He contended that properties included in the forfeiture case are memorized by Mrs. Ligot but those that are not included are lost to her memory when facing the Senate committee. She however stated that she could go home and try to recall the properties.

On all her 43 travels abroad, she was invoking her right to self incrimination stating only that her first travel was in 1981 and her last trip she could not remember to which Estrada stated that it was February 20, 2004 flight number PR 102 to San Francisco together with the wife of former General Angelo Reyes. Estrada added that they departed together and arrived together several times.

Ligot admitted that his salary as P30,000.00 per month as a brigadier general. How can your wife travel to so many countries and who paid for it asked Estrada. Who paid for these travels asked Senator Escudero in aid of the beleaguered and befuddled Estrada who could not extract any answer from Mrs. Ligot. The reply was simple. PASENSYA NA PO KAYO YOUR HONOR, I STILL INVOKE MY RIGHT TO SELF INCRIMINATION. To which Estrada pushed for citing the couple for contempt. When Rabusa was asked who was paying for the trips from 2000 to 2002 he said the Executive Assistant of the constant companion books the tickets. According to Rabusa who was also a constant companion to the trips abroad, he confirmed that he provided around 10,000 dollars to the constant companion. Rabusa further stated that the “pabaon or allowances” reached around 200,000 pesos per trip. It is unknown however how much Rabusa allotted for himself and his wife.

The Senate hearings are pre-empting the Sandiganbayan court hearings based on the questions of Estrada. Attorney Zialcita, legal adviser of Ligot cannot comment on the Tanay property under sub judice and pending in the Sandganbayan.

Should the contempt order come through, if the committee finds it so necessary will send it to the address of Mr. and Mrs. Ligot as stated by Senator Guingona. However in a hilarious exchange between Ms. Ligot and Estrada, they bargained about the contempt motion. Asked of her preference on whether she should share a room with General Ligot if cited for contempt, Mrs. Ligot retorted that she would rather not go to jail. She added however that she would still give the same answer to questions posed by Estrada.

On the other hand, brother in law of general Ligot invoked his right to privacy on the probing questions of Estrada and Senator Drillon regarding the Esenza condominium property.

Estrada noted that the hearings are being hampered and setting a precedent for further hearings where the witnesses will be insisting on their right to self incrimination. With this they ended the hearing.

A caucus between the Senators will be held later on to discuss the issues of contempt and procedures.

Cimatu and Villanueva faces Rabusa in Senate hearing

It would seem that witness George Rabusa has been making some accusations that are unfounded. This is what has come out after Senator Enrile, a former DND Secretary, questioned George Rabusa on the nature of confidential intelligence programs such as the failed israeli UAV project. Rabusa was forced to admit that the nature of the meeting between himself and then Deputy Chief of Staff Roy Cimatu was a command conference and not a meeting between thieves as he had initially claimed. In protecting his witness, Jinggoy redirected and coached Rabusa to mention the system by which the funds are converted using intelligence funds and personnel services as a cover.

General De Leon on the other hand admitted receiving 10 Million pesos which he signed for during his term as Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff. He declared that these funds were given to him by Rabusa and that the latter stated that this fund were to be used for the operations of the Office of the Chief of Staff. Former COA Head Carague stated for his part that intelligence funds are not to be used to purchase aircraft or any other capital outlay as Senator Drillon had cited. Senator Enrile however stated that the nature of the UAV falls under the definition of being an intelligence asset as it is used to gather intelligence.

DFA Special Envoy Roy Cimatu was asked by Jinggoy to clarify the statement which he uttered as stated by Rabusa: “Rabo may approval na ito sa taas”. Cimatu replied that he did not know George Rabusa as “Rabo” but as “George” and that he does not talk in this way. “It is out of my character to utter such statements as people who have known me and worked with me would attest”. General Villanueva was however forced to admit that the AFP used safe houses where they would meet the Governors of Sulu and other Muslim dignitaries like Governor Janjalani and other political leaders using the same funds. Villanueva identified the Tawi Tawi Governor also as a visitor. Retired General Atendido for his part denied going to the safe house at Acropolis. General Atendido was the Executive Assistant of General Villanueva. He claimed that General Atendido received the keys to the safe house at Acropolis. General Villanueva stated that the safe house was used by the visitor politicians from Mindanao. General Villanueva admitted that he knew of the safehouse and that he never leased the place for his own personal use as he was already about to retire. At most he just used it to entertain the muslim personalities and had not known that Rabusa had rented it for 1 year.

Indeed the Generals and Officials that showed up today for the Senate hearings on the plea bargaining agreement between the Ombudsman and Carlos Garcia, except for General Ligot, Rabusa and General Garcia themselves, have acquitted themselves with their statements and their stature. Former Generals Cimatu, Diomedio Villanueva and current General De Leon were forthright in answering the questions posed by Jinggoy and the other Senators. Both Cimatu and Villanueva denied any pabaon or pasalubong. Villanueva also denied giving Rabusa 1 Million pesos when Rabusa kept approaching him for financial assistance after his stint as AFP Chief of Staff.

What appears to be clear at the this point in time is that the head of this whole AFP scam is Carlos Garcia and that George Rabusa was complicit in the corruption and mismanagement of AFP funds. It is also clear that Jinggoy has more information from Rabusa and is releasing it on a piece by piece basis. Unfortunately, he has no knowledge of how to piece them together or make sense of them at all. Is he a victim of Rabusa or is it according to him already that: “I do not know anything about the military”.

Indeed the junior officers of the Chief of Staff’s, nay the Senior Managers in the AFP, may have used the funds themselves in the guise of giving them as pabaons and pasalubongs. Ligot’s withdrawals from his Citibank account may total 740 Million in dollars and pesos according to Senator Drillon in 2005 alone. The representative of the Ombudsman stated that they had no knowledge of the frozen assets of General Ligot. This however was countered by the AMLAC Director General where he said that the documents and information where delivered to Merceditas Guiterrez herself in May 2008 by Attorney Roland Villaluz of AMLAC. There was however no transmittal letter. It was prosecutor Jojie Capistrano of the Ombudsman who acted upon the matter.

At this point, it is clear that with the guidance and questioning of both Senator Drillon and Senator Enrile that there is indeed an established act of corruption. However it is also clear that Rabusa, Ligot and Garcia are the heads of the den of thieves in the AFP. Rabusa makes himself appear innocent and a victim when the statements of most of the witnesses already identifies him as the source of the funds and orders as concerns the safe houses, the UAV and bank deposits.

Former Congressman Pichay for his part denied receiving 1.5 Million pesos based on the accusation of the George Rabusa. It was claimed that former Congressman Pichay received 500 K per visit for being the head of the Congressional Committee on Defense.

Rabusa was finally hammered by Senator Enrile on the documents he may have fabricated on the documents on fund conversion. Rabusa was also confronted with the statement from a Major of the Navy that he returned 11.5 million pesos to Rabusa contrary to the statement of Rabusa claiming that he only received 2.5 Million. So where did the difference go? Did Rabusa pocket it?

The statements of Rabusa should not be taken as gospel truth. At most he is 50-50 in his revelations after this hearing.