Push Admin

Calida asks Supreme Court to stop Senate probe into family's firm

Article (news)

Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATE) - Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family have asked the Supreme Court to stop the Senate&#x27;s investigation into government contracts bagged by his family&#x27;s security firm.Minority senators earlier filed a resolution urging the Senate to look into government contracts awarded to the Calida-owned Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI).<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">SolGen Jose Calida and family ask SC to stop Senate probe into government contracts entered into by Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency, Inc. SC directs respondent Sen. Trillanes to file comment within 10 days. | via <a href="https://twitter.com/InaReformina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@InaReformina</a> <a href="https://t.co/PDMpADalSw">pic.twitter.com/PDMpADalSw</a>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1030000442271363072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>In a 39-page petition against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Calida, his wife Milagros, and children, Josef, Michelle, and Mark Jorel, accused Trillanes of grave abuse of discretion in setting a public hearing and summoning them over the issue “in the absence of a resolution by the Senate or any of its committees approving the proposed resolution directing the conduct of an inquiry in aid of legislation.”Trillanes’ Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation is behind the inquiry. Calida questioned the committee’s jurisdiction to investigate specific conflicts of interests of certain individual government officials, as he pointed out that the Blue Ribbon Committee has jurisdiction over their case since the latter focuses on legislation needed to address accountability issues involving public officers “and not on actual or possible violations done by specific performance.”Calida also maintained that Trillanes’ resolution was a “mere proposed resolution” and is not intended to aid legislation. “[Trillanes] decided on his own to conduct an inquiry inviting petitioners (Calida family), as witnesses, on Proposed Resolution No. 760… While petitioners recognize that the Senate Committees are authorized in general to conduct inquiries, petitioners assert that respondent has legal authority to order the conduct of the legislative inquiry on his own.“[T]he committee mainly consists of matters relating to rules and policies of civil service and the status of officers and employees of government as these apply or are applicable to all employees.”The subject resolution states Calida still owns 60 percent of VISAI&#x27;s shares as of September 29, 2016 &quot;or after two months after he assumed office [as Solicitor General].”It further states that &quot;from August 2016 to January 2018, VISAI won 14 government contracts, two of which were with the Department of Justice and amounted to P12.4 million and the nine of which were won after he assumed the position of Solicitor General.&quot;Calida, however, stressed the proposed resolution is aimed at “selectively” targeting his family as violators of law.“There are no acts or omissions attributable to the petitioners that can possibly shed light on the proposed resolution,” the Calida petition stated.The high court has directed Trillanes to respond to the petition within 10 days.

Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family have asked the Supreme Court to stop the Senate's investigation into government contracts bagged by his family's security firm.

Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family have asked the Supreme Court to stop the Senate's investigation into government contracts bagged by his family's security firm.

Calida asks Supreme Court to stop Senate probe into family's firm

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Calida asks Supreme Court to stop Senate probe into family's firm

Ina Reformina,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 16, 2018 04:16 PM PHT

|

Updated Aug 17, 2018 08:36 AM PHT

Read More:

Jose Calida

VISAI

Supreme Court

Antonio Trillanes

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.