Calida not required to divest business interests, says Koko Pimentel

By not being a Cabinet member, Solicitor General Jose Calida has no responsibility to divest from his family-owned security agency that bagged multi-million contracts in several government offices, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said Thursday.

Pimentel said that based on his understanding of the Constitution, only Cabinet members are required to divest their business interests.

“Ang understanding ko sa Constitution, if you join the Cabinet you are required to divest but he (Calida) is not part of the Cabinet.  Ang Cabinet niyan ay si (Justice Secretary Menardo) Guevarra, siya (Calida) ay under DOJ,” he told reporters.

He added Calida can have business interests as long as he does not directly involve himself in the operation or management of the company.

Pimentel, a bar topnotcher, also said Calida is separate from the juridical entity of the company.

“Basta ang requirement to divest sa taas, sa Cabinet members, so wala siyang requirement to divest. Ang requirement naman since government employee ka huwag ka naman actively magpatakbo ng company e hindi naman daw siya ang nagpapatakbo,” he reiterated.

“Wala namang vow of poverty na kapag sumali ka sa gobyerno wala ka talagang investment,” he said.

On allegations that Calida could have influenced the government agencies where the security firm secured contracts, the senator said he cannot give a comment on it.

“Ipakita na lang ng mga nagreklamo (‘yung ebidensiya). Sumasagot lang ako sa basis ng Constitution. Give me the facts then I will tell my opinion,” he said.

The former Senate president refused to comment on the resolution filed by opposition senators seeking investigation into the alleged conflict of interest  in the contracts awarded to Calida family-owned Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI). 

He will just let the committee chairman to act on the resolution.

“‘Di ba ganito kami sa Senate, kung may nag-file ng resolution it will be referred to the committee and it’s the judgement call ng chairman,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Paolo Benigno Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Leila de Lima signed Resolution 760 which urged the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization to investigate on the matter.

The resolution has yet to be formally referred to the committee which is chaired by Trillanes. — RSJ, GMA News