Duterte defends Calida, says won't fire him

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday defended Solicitor General Jose Calida and stressed that he would not fire the government’s top lawyer who he said had been performing well.

The chief executive’s defense of Calida comes as senators of the minority caucus filed a Senate resolution calling for an investigation into the contracts bagged by the security firm owned by the solicitor general’s family.

Duterte said that Calida had been in the business of providing security through his Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. for a long time.

“This Calida, his security guard (agency) has been there for a long time. It’s been there ever since. Why should I fire him? He’s good,” Duterte said during a ceremony at the Bureau of Customs which saw the destruction of another batch of luxury vehicles.

Calida has won controversial cases for the government before the courts including the controversial decision to bury the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos at the national heroes’ cemetery, the extension of martial law in Mindanao, the drug cases against Sen. Leila de Lima and the quo warranto petition that ousted former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Duterte said that critics should not “attribute” malice to Calida as he had already divested himself from the company.

 

It was reported that Calida’s security firm bagged contracts worth millions of pesos with the National Economic Development Agency, National Anti-Poverty Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., National Parkes Development Corp. and the Department of Justice.

It was also said that Vigilant had won 10 government contracts since August 2016.

Calida had denied any wrongdoing and said that there was no conflict of interest as he already resigned as president and chairman of Vigilant when he became the solicitor general in 2016.

However, he reportedly still owns a controlling share—60 percent—of the company.

The 1987 Constitution prohibits members of the Cabinet from participating in any business and being financially interested with any contract or franchise with the government and its offices.

The charter says: “They shall directly avoid any conflict of interest in the conduct of their office.”

This prohibition of any conflict of interest is also stipulated in Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The law said that a conflict of interest would arise if a public official “is a member of a board, an officer or a substantial stockholder of a private corporation or owner or has a substantial interest in a business, and the interest of such corporation or business, or his rights or duties therein, may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance of official duty.”

Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, meanwhile, are seeking a congressional inquiry into the contracts between Vigilant and a host of government agencies.

Under Senate Resolution 760, they want the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization to conduct the inquiry in aid of legislate into the possible conflict of interest in Vigilant’s contracts.

They stressed that the solicitor general, being the representative of the Republic before any court, tribunal, body or commission, should remain beyond reproach, act in a manner that inspires confidence in the civil service and rule of law and conduct himself with utmost integrity and decency.