This is an AI-generated summary, which may contain errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Vice President Sara Duterte was welcomed by Barangay 23 Chairman Gongie Galenzoga, brother-in-law of former marine lawyer Levi Baligod.
Just a day after 18 so-called “former soldiers” participated in a highly contested Senate hearing marked by conflicting narratives, Vice President Sara Duterte made an unannounced visit to their lawyer’s compound in Baybay City, Leyte.
He visited a small school in a remote barangay as part of Brigada Eskwela school activities. While there, he also prayed at the famous Pomponan Church and joined the distribution of barangay aid to pedicab and tricycle drivers.
He was welcomed by Barangay 23 Chairman Gongie Galenzoga.
It’s not just bad luck. No barangay chairman in Baybay City would have warmly welcomed the Vice President unless he wanted to destroy the relationship with the Caris of Baybay, who are aligned with the current administration.
Why? And how does this tie in with the 18 former Marines?
The Gongie Galenzoga family has been fighting the ruling Cari clan since the 2013 election, and fielded candidates for various positions until he stepped down in 2025.
Galenzoga’s sister, Marilou “Malot” Galenzoga-Baligodis the wife of Levito Baligod, attorney for alleged “former marines.”
Lottery was conducted in 2016 against the former mayor of Baybay City at the time Carmen Loreto-Cari. When lawyer Baligod ran for senator in 2016, he endorsed then mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He and his wife have sought the endorsement of Rodrigo and Sara Duterte in the next election. In Baybay, their campaign posters in 2019 and 2022 showed the elder Duterte raising his hands.
Many have noted that the politicians associated with the 18 former Marines are mostly from the Marcos-Romualdez camp or are staunch critics of the Dutertes.
On the day of the hearing of the case, the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation Matibag said he received information claiming that former congressman Mike Defensor gave the former soldiers P5 million each to testify.
Later that day, Palawan Second District Representative Jose Alvarez interrupted Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s press conference with allegations that Defensor also asked him to lead the impeachment effort against Marcos.
So there’s that, but Baligod’s long history of collaboration with the Dutertes also lays bare Duterte’s relationship with the 18 “seafarers”. – Rappler.com
