Baligod says ‘colorful character’ label came from his work in PDAF

Levito Baligod, the counsel of the 14 alleged bodyguards of former congressman Zaldy Co, said that the reason why Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla described him as a “colorful character” was because of the work that he did during the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scandal.

Remulla’s description of Baligod came after it was reported that four out of the 18 initial bodyguards were going to be recanting their statements, detailing how they supposedly delivered cash-filled luggages to several lawmakers in connection to infrastructure kickbacks.

The Ombudsman mentioned that the lawyer’s reputation was unusual, pointing out that he was someone who was not a necessarily reliable source.

“Was he ever?” Remulla answered when asked whether Baligod was trustworthy.

To recall, aside from serving as a lawyer for Benhur Luy–one of the key whistleblowers in the issue–Baligod also played roles in filing cases against lawmakers that were allegedly involved in the multimillion peso scam.

The lawyer attributed Remulla’s portrayal of him to those particular cases, recalling how he became a person whom the people could voice their complaints.

“Well, perhaps he knew what I did during the PDAP scam. I sued or I submitted documents or complaints against 14 senators, 198 congressmen, and five cabinet secretaries. And then after that, we worked together somehow in the Teves case,” he explained.

“So, you know, when I heard several complaints from people of Negros Occidental about the alleged abuses of the Teves group, every month, I went to Negros to validate. Because the people had no one to approach,” he stated.

“I was able to make lists, a two and a half page list of hitmen. It was my own effort, without the help of our security forces,” he added.

Years after the cases, Baligod was once again in headlines last February as he publicly introduced 18 individuals that he initially said were “marines” that supposedly worked with Co in delivering the funds that were part of the scheme that the lawmaker facilitated.

Their lengthy allegations and description of deliveries has faced scrutiny from onlookers and from the officials that were implicated, with multiple cases already being filed against the “Brave 14.”

Baligod, for his part, affirmed that they were still working with the Ombudsman to “strengthen cases” that they were actively investigating in relation to the multibillion peso flood control scandal.

Notably, the Ombudsman had previously stated that eight out of the formerly 18 bodyguards were in the “grand case” against former Speaker Martin Romualdez.