Guevarra: No problem with DOJ contract with Calida’s security firm

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday said he sees no problem with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) contract with Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency (Vigilant), owned by the family of Solicitor General Jose Calida.

In an interview with The Source on CNN Philippines, Guevarra said, “I examined all the records pertaining to the procurement and all of these were regular on its face.”

The Justice chief said he looked into DOJ’s contract with Vigilant despite having stated earlier that there seemed to be no need to review that particular contract.

“”I talked to the people in charge of procurement, examined the records. This is a public bidding and all we need to comply with are the pertinent regulations under the Government Procurement Reform Act,” Guevarra said, adding that “these were followed—from the start of the bidding up to the end.”

He noted that during the public bidding, Vigilant happened to be the lowest and most responsive bidder.

Guevarra said there could only be a conflict of interest if Vigilant had any relation to the head of the DOJ, the head of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), the head of the BAC Secretariat, and the agency implementing the procurement within the third degree of affinity or consanguinity.

“But none was found…It [the contract] is above board,” Guevarra said.

Earlier, Calida said he is not the approving authority for the contracts obtained by Vigilant.

The Solicitor General also stated that he had already divested his shares to his wife.

Despite his statements, a complaint has been filed against Calida before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Guevarra said, “The conflict of interest on the part of the SolGen, that is something he has to deal with separately.”  /vvp