Polarizing issue Same-sex marriage spurs heated debates among Filipinos, says Solicitor General Jose Calida. Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family petitioned the Supreme Court yesterday to stop a Senate inquiry that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV initiated on the P150-million contract that Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI), owned by the Calida family, has with several government agencies.

In a petition for certiorari and prohibition with urgent application for issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or preliminary

injunction filed on 14 August but was obtained by the media yesterday, Calida sought a halt to the legislative inquiry.

The Senate probe seeks to look into alleged conflict of interest in Calida’s shares in VISAI.

Calida also asked SC to declare as “void and unconstitutional” Trillanes’ letters inviting him and his family members to the Senate as these were “issued in respondent’s sole capacity only or without the authority of the Senate or any of its committees and for serving no legislative purpose.”

The invitation for the Senate inquiry was received by Calida 1 August from Trillanes which stated that issues should be threshed out arising from the Senate’s proposed Resolution 760.

The petition of Calida said all the letters came from the office of Trillanes.

The resolution urged the Senate committee on civil service and government reorganization to look into the “conflict of interest of Solicitor General Jose Calida, arising from security service contracts between national government agencies and VISAI.”

The resolution has been referred to the committee on the accountability of public officers and investigations (blue ribbon) and the committee on civil service, government reorganization and professional regulation.