No DOJ probe into deals with Calida security agency

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra sees no reason to review contracts between the Department of Justice and a security agency owned by Solicitor General Jose Calida that has contracts with several government agencies.

In a message to reporters, Guevarra said: “For now, I can only presume regularity in the performance of official duty.”

Asked if the Justice department will look into the said contracts, he said: “Unless there’s a challenge to the validity of contracts, there is no need for us to investigate.”

According to a report, the Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. has two contracts with the Department of Justice worth P12 million. The agency is owned by the family of Solicitor General Jose Calida, who himself has a 60-percent stake in it.

Calida's wife and three children own 10 percent each.

READ: Calida insists: Conflict of interest allegations 'baseless'

Vigilant has contracts with at least four other government agencies: The National Economic Development Agency, National Anti-Poverty Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and National Parks Development Corp.

Calida, the government's top lawyer, faces allegations of conflict of interest in his security agency having business with government agencies and corporations. The solicitor general has dismissed the claims of conflict of interest as baseless.

Calida also stressed that his office, the OSG, does not have approving authority over the contracts, including those with the DOJ. He added that the OSG is only an attached agency to the DOJ for budget purposes,

The Justice chief agreed with Calida's view. "It’s a private security agency, not the [Office of the Solicitor General] or the SolGen, who entered into the contracts with the DOJ."

Guevara said that, for the department, “what is important is that all procurement laws, rules and regulations were observed when it entered into these contracts.”

Guevarra however assured the public that the DOJ will exercise "more circumspection for future contracts."

Calida was slapped with a complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman for being a major stockholder of Vigilant.

The complaint also alleges that he violated Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Section 4 of the said act provides: “It shall be unlawful for any person having family or close personal relation with any public official to capitalize or exploit or take advantage of such family or close personal relation by directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any present, gift or material or pecuniary advantage from any other person having some business, transaction, application, request or contract with the government, in which such public official has to intervene.”

But Calida maintains that he sees no conflict of interest with his and his family’s ownership of Vigilant.