Amando Virgil Descartin Ligutan, identified just lately as one of many head counsels to the Home prosecutors in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, is extra than simply his fast wits and even handed responses.
He wasn’t born to a clan of legal professionals. Nor was he ever groomed to tackle the reins of a political dynasty. As an alternative, he was born to Leytehanons Veronica Descartin Ligutan and the late Amando Hanopol Ligutan Jr., and is simply the second in his household to grow to be a lawyer.
His first job after graduating from the School of Arts and Sciences within the College of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu Metropolis in 2004 was instructing Philosophy, in line with a March 2004 version of USC’s campus publication, Right this moment’s Carolinian. He was 21 on the time.
Earlier than this, he already had an extended listing of achievements — valedictorian of Sacred Coronary heart Seminary in Palo, Leyte, founding father of the Philosophical Society of Cebu, summa cum laude graduate with an total grade level common of 1.02, and laureate of USC’s Ten Excellent Leaders Awards.
Humble background apart, it’s Ligutan’s motive for becoming a member of the prosecution staff that has piqued the curiosity of these watching the unraveling of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
“Seven days after the Home of Representatives impeached the Vice President final 12 months, the Sandiganbayan ordered the imprisonment of a public college principal for pocketing P5,000. The varsity principal is ordered to be imprisoned for 11 years,” Ligutan instructed reporters on February 9, 2026.
“If, on one hand, we will ship to jail a public college principal for pocketing P5,000 for 11 years of imprisonment, can we give a free move to the Vice President for stealing not one, not two, however P612.5 million?” the lawyer argued.
So when he was approached by clergymen to symbolize them within the submitting of the third impeachment grievance in opposition to the Vice President, Ligutan couldn’t wait to do it professional bono.
The person from Carigara
Ligutan was not afraid to flaunt his use of Binisaya in the course of the fourth day of the impeachment trial on Monday, July 13.
“Legal professional Lotoc, kita magpapadayon inin aton mga paki-ana ngan imo pag-baton hinin akon mga paki-ana,” the lawyer stated earlier than the protection flagged his use of the non-English/non-Filipino language.
(Legal professional Lotoc, we will proceed with our questions and also you shall proceed responding to my questions.)
Ligutan is a lumad (native) of the Municipality of Carigara, the oldest city of Leyte that was established in 1571.
“Truly, whereas there are legal professionals within the household — his brother is one, plus an aunt and a few cousins — I believe it’s extra correct to say that Biw comes from an extended line of public servants moderately than an extended line of legal professionals,” Shirlee Alicor Ligutan-Machete, the lawyer’s cousin instructed Rappler on July 14.
Biw is Ligutan’s childhood nickname. In line with Machete, it was how Ligutan’s older brother pronounced his sibling’s title after they had been toddlers — ”Biwiw.”
A lot of the Ligutans, Machete stated, had been authorities employees, academics, cops, and civil servants.
“His father, Tiyo Intoy, labored on the Division of Agrarian Reform (DAR), whereas his mom was a nurse on the Carigara District Hospital. Simply peculiar authorities workers who raised their youngsters effectively regardless of having a modest earnings,” she added.
Extra Cebuano than Tommy O
Ligutan handed the Bar in 2009 after incomes his Juris Physician diploma on the College of the Philippines School of Regulation. There, he was a member of the UP Regulation Jessup Workforce, which received the 2008 Nationwide Moot Court docket Competitors on Worldwide Humanitarian Regulation.
Ligutan served as a junior affiliate on the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz (ACCRA) Regulation Places of work earlier than becoming a member of SALiGAL Regulation in Cebu Metropolis as a managing accomplice in 2010.
Over time, he dealt with the circumstances of distinguished personalities like 2020 Deutsche Welle (DW) Freedom of Speech awardee Maria Victoria “Bambi” Burdeos Beltran and the household of Gisela Bendong-Boniel, the spouse killed by Niño Rey Boniel, former mayor of Bien Unido city in Bohol.
Ligutan additionally taught regulation on the College of the Philippines School of Regulation, College of San Jose-Recoletos Faculty of Regulation, and College of Cebu Faculty of Regulation.
“Let me put it this manner. Virgil is extra Cebuano than Tommy Osmeña,” Cebu Metropolis Vice Mayor Tomas “Tommy” Osmeña instructed Rappler on July 13.
In line with Osmeña, they’ve all the time appeared to Ligutan to deal with powerful circumstances in Cebu. After years of doing volunteering work with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), one of many ruling native political events in Cebu headed by the Osmeña patriarch, the Vice Mayor stated that Ligutan was sought not just for his professionalism, but additionally his reliability and precision.
“In case you have a particular mission, you can’t simply get an peculiar particular person, you get Virgil,” Osmeña stated.
Aside from being acknowledged for his function with BO-PK, Ligutan has additionally been vocal in opposition to the Duterte administration and the non-renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, amongst different nationwide points.
When requested he thinks about Ligutan’s function within the impeachment trial as counsel for the prosecution, Osmeña stated that the lawyer earned the highlight and has a brighter future forward.
“These are the type of folks we must always develop and he must be groomed for larger obligations, even in public service, if he needs to. Why not, no?” Osmeña stated. – Rappler.com
