(Eagle News) — For Senator Koko Pimentel, Solicitor General Calida does not have to divest from his family’s security agency.
Pimentel, a bar topnotcher, said this was because according to the Constitution, he said, only Cabinet members were required to divest.
“Ang requirement naman since government employee ka huwag ka naman actively magpatakbo ng company e hindi naman daw siya ang nagpapatakbo,” he said.
Calida has denied allegations of conflict of interest stemming from Vigilant Investigative Agency Inc. bagging over P200 million worth of contracts in several government agencies.
According to Calida, he resigned as president and chairman of the company in 2016, prior to assuming his post as Solicitor General.
While he owns 60 percent of the company’s shares, he said his financial interests were reflected in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
According to Calida, his family’s firm also did not win all government contracts it bid for.
President Rodrigo Duterte, a lawyer, has defended Calida, saying government officials had the right to invest in businesses for as long as they did not directly participate in their management.