Duterte defends Calida anew: Basta may bidding walang problema

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday defended Solicitor General Jose Calida anew over the controversial government contracts bagged by the latter's family-owned security agency.

"'Yung kay Calida naman bakit ko siya i-fire, out na long before he became a SolGen, 'yun ang negosyo niya, 'yun ang negosyo ng tatay niya. Actually inherited ni Calida 'yan," Duterte said in his speech before the Filipino community in South Korea.

"Basta may bidding lahat, anything in government basta may bidding ka, walang problema, okay 'yan. Kung siya ang nanalo, eh di siya... sabihin, putulin mo hanapbuhay ng tao, why? Are you sure you will be there for all times?" Duterte added.

Calida-family owned Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI) secured contracts worth over P150 million with the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) between 2015 and 2018.

Calida has said there is no need for him to divest himself of his shares in the firm, which is run by his wife Milagros.

The critics of the government's top lawyer have called for his resignation, saying that there is a conflict of interest in the Solicitor General's family's firm obtaining lucrative government contracts.

Malacañang previously said that conflict of interest would only come into play if Calida was the approving authority of the multi-million peso contracts.

Calida, for his part, maintained that he would not step down from his post. — Anna Felicia Bajo/BM, GMA News