From Mighty Kid to the Senate: Atty. Ligutan looks back on his journey

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Before lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan found himself under the cool lights of the Philippine Senate, he was a child standing under the sun at a public elementary school in Carigara, Leyte, wearing Mighty Kid shoes.

More than three decades later, Ligutan returned to that memory through a throwback photograph taken in 1989, placing it beside a recent image from the Senate where he now serves as part of the prosecution team in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“From the sun-scorched stage of a public elementary school in Carigara, Leyte to the cool Senate session hall, one thing remains,” Ligutan wrote in his social media post.

“We will stand and fight for the things we cherish the most: the human freedoms to DREAM, to LEARN, to SPEAK, and to be EQUAL before the law,” he added.

A journey that began in Leyte

Ligutan’s childhood in Carigara now sits far behind a legal career that has taken him from Cebu courtrooms to the country’s highest-profile political proceedings.

He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of San Carlos before earning his Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines College of Law.

At UP Law, he joined the Philippine team for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, one of the world’s major international law moot court competitions.

He also helped the university win the 2008 National Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law.

After passing the 2009 Bar examinations, Ligutan began his legal career as a junior associate at ACCRA Law before eventually becoming managing partner of Sapayan Lim Alvarez & Ligutan (SALiGAL Law) in Cebu City.

His practice has since covered a wide range of disputes, from civil and criminal litigation to labor cases, election-related controversies, local government disputes and public interest litigation.

From Cebu courtrooms to the Senate

For years, Ligutan remained a familiar name within Cebu’s legal circles.

He has represented clients in cases involving public officials and served as a legal consultant to legislators and local chief executives.

His work has also placed him in some of Cebu’s more closely watched legal disputes, including cases involving former Metropolitan Cebu Water District board members and controversies involving Cebu City officials.

But his latest assignment has taken his advocacy beyond the courtroom.

Ligutan joined the prosecution team in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte as a private prosecutor deputized to assist the House prosecution panel.

He accepted the role pro bono, saying accountability in public office motivated his participation.

The assignment also meant stepping temporarily away from another part of his professional life: teaching.

The lawyer who teaches lawyers

Ligutan has spent years in the classroom alongside his litigation practice.

He serves as a senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law and has taught at the University of San Jose-Recoletos and the University of Cebu.

His subjects have included labor law, remedial law and public international law.

This semester, however, Ligutan chose to put teaching on hold as he focuses on the impeachment proceedings.

“For the first time since 2011, I won’t be teaching any law subject this coming semester. See you next semester,” he previously wrote.

The decision reflects the unusual demands of his current role, which has placed him before senators and a national audience while testing the legal arguments surrounding the impeachment case.

A public voice beyond the courtroom

Ligutan has also used his legal background to engage with issues beyond individual cases.

He has publicly criticized the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, addressed questions surrounding the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction and expressed support for legal accountability in investigations involving alleged crimes.

Those positions have made him a recognizable legal voice in Cebu on constitutional law, international law and governance. His appearance at the Senate now represents another chapter in that public life.

Sources: SaLiGAL Law, VERA Files, Amando Virgil Ligutan/FB, Inquirer.net

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