In a legal landscape often cluttered by those who seek the shade of power, Atty. Levito “Levi” Baligod stands as a jarring, necessary anomaly. To call a lawyer a “hero” in the Philippines is to invite skepticism; we are a nation weary of grandstanding and “attorneys-at-law” who prioritize the latter over the former. Yet, Baligod’s career trajectory suggests that the title isn’t just hyperbole—it is a job description he has earned through decades of high-stakes friction against the status quo.
Baligod first entered the national consciousness not as a politician, but as a shield. In 2013, he was the legal architect who stood behind Benhur Luy, the whistleblower who pulled the curtain back on the ₱10-billion PDAF scam. While others might have calculated the risks of poking the “pork barrel” hornet’s nest, Baligod chose to dive into the fire, proving that a single lawyer with a notarized affidavit can indeed shake the foundations of the bureaucracy.
What makes Baligod a modern-day protagonist isn’t just his past victories, but his relentless “unfinished business.” Today, he is back in the trenches, representing 18 former Marines and soldiers who have come forward to expose a staggering ₱805-billion kickback scheme involving flood control and government projects. It is a classic Baligod move: centering the narrative on the “little people”—the soldiers and whistleblowers—to challenge the giants.
His heroism is not without its human flaws. His recent admission of a clerical error regarding Leila de Lima shows a man operating in a high-pressure environment where the margin for error is razor-thin. But in a culture where officials rarely admit fault, Baligod’s immediate rectification of the record serves as its own kind of integrity.
Whether he is fighting for the family of the slain Governor Roel Degamo or seeking a seat for Leyte’s 5th District, Baligod’s “portrait” is one of constant movement against the current. He reminds us that the law is not just a career—it is a weapon for the voiceless. In the trial of public opinion, Levi Baligod remains the quintessential advocate for a Philippines that is tired of being plundered. (Nexus News, Views & Features)
