Senators to Rody: Fire Calida over gov’t deals

Senators from the minority bloc yesterday challenged President Duterte to fire Solicitor General Jose Calida, who is mired in controversy over the multimillion-peso government contracts obtained by his family’s security firm.

Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Francisco Pangilinan said either Duterte fires Calida or he resigns, especially after former tourism secretary Wanda Teo earlier resigned over similar graft and corruption allegations.

Calls for Calida to resign mounted after it was revealed that Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI), owned by the solicitor general’s family, signed contracts with the National Parks Development Committee, National Anti-Poverty Commission and National Economic and Development Authority.

Some sectors claimed that there was conflict of interest in the signing of the contracts with a total amount of P150 million.

Calida is facing a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

“I challenge President Duterte to prove his anti-corruption rhetoric. I challenge him to not only fire Mr. Calida but also to file the necessary charges against him,” Hontiveros said.

She said if Duterte can order Calida to file a case against former chief justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, he can do the same to the former.

“Otherwise, his anti-corruption stance is pure hogwash,” Hontiveros said, adding the removal of Calida and the filing of cases against him are important steps in “rebuilding the country’s damaged institutions.”

Hontiveros also slammed Duterte’s “fire and recycle policy” or the President’s practice of reappointing people he fired after being accused of anomalies in the government.

Pangilinan said if Teo resigned over a P60-million advertising deal involving two of her brothers, there should be three times more reason for Calida to resign since the contracts his security firm obtained reportedly totaled P150 million.

‘None of your business’

Calida has denied the allegations, saying he has divested his shares from the VISAI.

He also said he will defend himself in the proper forum when asked about the complaint before the ombudsman.

Calida was at the Senate yesterday afternoon to visit Senate President Vicente Sotto III and other senators to lobby for support for a pending bill strengthening his office.

Sotto said Calida did not talk about the controversy during their brief meeting.

He also tried to evade reporters’ questions after leaving Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s office surrounded by bodyguards.

“None of your business,” Calida told reporters when asked about his purpose for seeing the senators.

When asked to comment about calls for him to resign, he said: “No, there’s none.”

Calida critics just want vengeance – Palace

Malacañang said yester- day critics questioning the deals between the government and the security agency of Calida’s family are just trying to get back at the top government lawyer for filing the quo warranto petition against ousted chief justice Sereno.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said vengeance may be the motive behind the criticisms against the contracts.

“You already know why these criticisms against SolGen Calida are surfacing. He won in his quo warranto petition,” Roque said in a press briefing.

“His enemies are getting back at him, those who were hurt by the ruling on the quo warranto. It’s obvious,” he added.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of Sereno as chief justice because of her failure to submit some of her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Voting 8-6, the Supreme Court said Sereno was ineligible to hold the post of chief justice for “lack of integrity.”

The decision stemmed from a petition by the Office of the Solicitor General, which accused Sereno of failing to file about 10 SALNs. The opposition said the quo warranto peition was a huge blow to judicial independence and has made the solicitor general very powerful because it gave him the means to seek the ouster of impeachable officials.

‘No conflict of interest’

A certain Jocelyn Nisperos has filed graft charges against Calida before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Calida has denied the allegation, saying he resigned as VISAI chairman and president before he became solicitor general in 2016.

Roque also maintained there is no conflict of interest involved in the multimillion peso deals because the solicitor general is no longer an official of the security agency.

“My reading of the Constitution and the Anti-Graft Law supports the conclusion made by the SolGen that there is no conflict of interest. He resigned all his corporate posts before he became SolGen and I don’t think mere ownership of stocks certificates is prohibited by the Constitution,” he added.

Roque said under the Constitution, Cabinet members shall not directly or indirectly practice any other profession, participate in any business or be financially interested in any contract or with any franchise or special privilege granted by the government or any of its instrumentalities during their tenure.

He pointed out stock ownership by government officials is not prohibited as long as this is declared in their SALN.

Roque noted that the contracts with VISAI involved government agencies not under Calida.

“If the security agency contract is with the OGCC (Office of the Government Corporate Counsel), he would really be accountable because he is the approving authority,” Roque said.

“But if it’s not in his office, then I don’t see the conflict of interest; but I could be wrong. I’m sure this matter will be pronounced upon by our courts,” he added.

Asked to react to claims that VISAI bagged 10 government contracts, two of them with the justice department, Roque said: “It has to be interest in any contract requiring the approval of their office. As long as he does not seek contracts with the Office of the Solicitor General.”

“Even if he (Calida) enters into contract with the Department of Justice, the DOJ is not under him. In fact, it’s independent of the Office of the Solicitor General and they only go to Congress for purposes of budget presentation. They present their budget together. But they are autonomous from each other,” he added.

Roque said there is a “world of difference” between the allegations against Calida and the controversy involving former tourism secretary Wanda Teo, who resigned over a contract that placed P60 million in tourism department advertisements to a media outlet owned by her brother.