(Eagle News) — Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday, May 30, slammed Solicitor General Jose Calida for what she said was his “hypocrisy” after he denied any conflict of interest when his family’s security firm bagged several contracts in some government agencies.
“He has the gall to claim that there is no conflict of interest despite official records showing that his family-owned security firm bagged P150-million worth of contracts from government agencies,” she said, as she called for his resignation.
According to De Lima, Calida’s resignation as chairman and president of Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Incorporated “does not remove the fact that his family, particularly his wife and children, own and operate the business.”
She said “apparently, the Solicitor General’s wife, Milagros Calida, replaced the Solicitor General’s position as president and chairperson of Vigilant.
“Their children are likewise appointed as vice president, corporate secretary and treasurer of the company,” she said.
“Surely, Calida’s immediate resignation from his post would not settle the issue. He should face the possible charges against him,” she added.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, a lawyer, has defended Calida from the allegations, saying the SolGen merely had “stock ownership” in the firm, and not “management powers.”
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra agreed, saying from a legal standpoint, a stockholder and an owner were treated differently.
He said the company took a life of its own when it bid for the government contracts.
“If you want to invest some money in some corporation, you are not prohibited from doing that. Ang bawal, ‘yung ikaw mismo ‘yung nagpapatakbo ng kumpanya na ‘yun, actively involved ka, in the operations, in the management of a certain corporation, kasi public official ka na,” Guevarra said.
“From the viewpoint of the DOJ, what is important is that all procurement laws, rules and regulations were observed when it entered into these contracts,” Guevarra added.
De Lima is currently detained in Camp Crame over drug-related cases.