Trillanes, Calida asked to comment on Senate probe of SolGen’s family firm

The Supreme Court (SC) has acted on petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida to stop the Senate prove over his family’s security agency and the government contract it has managed to acquire.

In a three-page notice, the high court gave both parties 30 days to submit their memoranda containing their arguments on whether the Senate probe is valid or not.

“Considering the allegations, issues, and arguments adduced in the petition, as well as in the comment thereon… the Court resolved to give due course to the petition; treat the comment as answer; and require the parties to submit their respective memoranda within 30 days from notice hereof,” read the high court’s notice that was made public Thursday.

The high court told both parties that their memoranda should contain a statement of the cases, statement of facts, statement of the issues, the argument, relief, and table of authorities.

“No new issues may be raised by a party in the memorandum, and the issues raised in the pleadings but not included in the memorandum shall be deemed waived or abandoned. Being a summation of the parties’ previous pleadings, the Court may consider the memorandum alone in deciding or resolving the petition,” the high court said.

The three-page notice was signed by SC Clerk of Court Edgar Aricheta.

When the notice was crafted, three members of the En Banc were not present. SC Justices Lucas Bersamin and Alexander Gesmundo were on official business, and Justice Jose Reyes was on official leave.

Last August, Calida, together with family members Milagros, Josef, Michelle, and Mark Jorel, asked the high court to stop the Senate probe on the government contracts obtained by Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. owned by his family.

Calida owns 60 percent share of the agency, but he claims to have divested his share when he was appointed as solicitor general.

The Calida family went to the Supreme Court after Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has sent them an invitation for a public hearing last August.

Calida, in his petition, said the proposed inquiry does not serve a legislative purpose and would be conducted “to humiliate and carry out the personal and hostile agenda of the respondent.” /ee

READ: Calida asks SC to nullify Senate’s call for probe into his family’s firms