Solicitor General Jose Calida clearly overstepped the bounds of his office and of propriety when he turned personal, harassing ABS-CBN reporter Mike Navallo, who was covering the official’s filing of a quo warranto petition asking the Supreme Court to nullify the franchise of ABS-CBN and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence.
While fending off requests for interview, Calida singled out Navallo for confrontation.
“Lagi mo akong binabanatan ha. Lawyer ka rin pala.”
Navallo’s retort was spot on: “I’m just doing my job, Sir.”
Not content, Calida added: “Mag-practice ka na lang, magkita tayo sa court).”
Calida’s boorishness is the classic example of a government factotum who mistakes his position of authority as a license to throw his weight around. It is behavior that, of course, echoes his principal.
National Directorate
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