The administration of President Rodrigo
Roa Duterte has undeniably given the country a lot of hope and change.
The country has been looking for that
brand of leadership that has political will and swagger that defies the norms
of what the society made us to believe from the decades past.
Undoubtedly, the President has chosen
his trusted cabinet officials or his family in the government with the same fire
if not same vigor as regards how they are dedicated in their field of
specialization in the Duterte administration.
Solicitor General Jose Calida of the Office of the Solicitor General. (photo credit to owner) |
One such government official is the
head of the government’s law firm – Solicitor General Jose Calida of the Office
of the Solicitor General.
Just who is Jose Calida? In his column
for the Daily Tribune, Mr. Darren M. de Jesus described the SolGen as:
“This is the
same Calida who served the eviction notice against SunVar Realty, associated
with Philippine Daily Inquirer, to vacate the Mile Long Compound in Amorsolo
Makati; the same lawyer who filed a quo warranto petition in the SC to oust de
facto Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno”
He has won all the cases he has brought
up to the Supreme Court and he started with the highly emotional move by
President Duterte when the latter decided to proceed with burial of the former
President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).
SolGen Calida argued for the President
to which led to the SC deciding that there is no impediment in proceeding with
the plan burial in the LNMB of the late Philippine president.
That’s just how good of a lawyer Calida
is, and he works for the government alongside with the President.
For purposes of public consumption,
clarity and full understanding we are quoting in full said article by Mr. de
Jesus below:
Calida Effect
Solicitor General Jose Calida brazenly left the Supreme
Court (SC) filing section just like how superheroes walk away, without looking
at the explosion behind. It’s as if he was bred for these monumental and
controversial cases that end up dizzying the public, silencing detractors and
even trivializing supporters — but is this event the right legal remedy? Yet
who would even dare the government’s top lawyer with a winning record in the
SC?
This is the same Calida who served the eviction notice
against SunVar Realty, associated with Philippine Daily Inquirer, to vacate the
Mile Long Compound in Amorsolo Makati; the same lawyer who filed a quo warranto
petition in the SC to oust de facto Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno; and the
one accused of amassing P150 million worth of government contracts in favor of
his security agency.
In his victory walk out of the SC after filing his petition
for quo warranto to “oust” media giant ABS-CBN from its own franchise that is
set to expire on 30 March, he did not even bother to answer questions nor say
anything to the media, except for singling out the sole ABS-CBN reporter for
always giving him a hard time, as if to put salt on the wound and inform
ABS-CBN that this is precisely the reason for all their issues with the government
today.
The new quo warranto petition has set the public on fire,
with people decrying media censorship and tyranny. It puts ABS-CBN on the same
boat as Rappler, and other huge corporations which the Administration has
branded as ‘oligarchs,’ like Ayala Corporation, Metro-Pacific Corporation,
among others. Even the foreign press has taken notice with the New York Times
and Al Jazeerah publishing articles suggesting that this is among the symptoms
of a rising dictatorship in the Philippines.
A caveat: This is not an admiration post on Calida, but
rather a recognition of this brand of law practice. Calida comes from the same
breed of top lawyers of this Administration, particularly our very own
President Rodrigo Duterte and Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo. These are
lawyers beyond their 60s, sharp enough to know the salient points of the law,
possessing enough swagger to bully their opinion using legalese on any issue,
may it be something they know little or a lot about. These are guys who know how
to use their age and experience as strong advantages in any situation. In other
words, these are some tough mothers that have been through a lot, and they
won’t take no for an answer.
This is also the same mold from whence former Vice President
Jejomar Binay comes, especially back in his days as Makati Mayor. I recall
seeing a video of then Mayor Binay on the day of elections telling Comelec
officers in Makati that they do not know their law, without actually citing any
specific legal provision, but causing a lot of panic as seen with the eyes of
the young officers who did not know if they were being scolded, lectured upon
or bluffed.
In the law practice, you see a lot of these veteran lawyers
in the courtroom — guys who can widow and wing any trial proceeding. These are
the guys you’d hate to go up against especially if he’s friends with the trial
judge. Millennial lawyers’ most useful ammunition against them is to read up
and cite as many cases and doctrines as they can catch the more senior lawyer
off-guard.
The difference here is that Calida brings with him the
entire Office of the Solicitor General with lawyers all bearing the same swag
he has, with the badge of being the official ‘law firm’ of the Republic of the
Philippines.
It is an instant presumption that those that the OSG goes
after are on the wrong side of the law, and that the entire machinery of the
Philippine government shall be used to ease out every piece of evidence they
can muster.
It becomes a deadly mix if you add the Bureau of Internal Revenue,
Department of Justice and the local authorities, which we all expect to be
activated later on against ABS-CBN.
With this strong suit, the pressure is now on the SC to rule on the Petition, and the House of Representatives to start hearing the franchise at the committee-level. But with how things have unfolded this Administration, the best option for this flavor of the month is to look for new partners similar to what Ayala Corporation did. With a reported 14,000 employees at stake, a new deal has to be brokered quick.
With this strong suit, the pressure is now on the SC to rule on the Petition, and the House of Representatives to start hearing the franchise at the committee-level. But with how things have unfolded this Administration, the best option for this flavor of the month is to look for new partners similar to what Ayala Corporation did. With a reported 14,000 employees at stake, a new deal has to be brokered quick.
What can you say about this?
Share us your thoughts by simply
leaving on the comment section below. For more news updates, feel free to visit
our site often.
Stay updated with today's relevant
news and trends by hitting the LIKE button.
Thanks for dropping by and reading
this post.
Report from Daily Tribune
Disclaimer: Contributed articles does not reflect the view of THE
PH CHRONICLES. This website cannot guarantee the legitimacy of some of
the information contributed to us. You may do additional research if you find some
information doubtful. No part of this
article maybe reproduced without permission from this website.
0 Comments