Justice Secretary and Solicitor General Alberto Agra said Wednesday that he sees nothing wrong for him to hold two posts at the same time because the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is operationally independent from the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Agra said he will answer the civil complaint filed at the Manila regional trial court (RTC), questioning his appointment as Justice Secretary despite the fact that he is presently holding the position of SOLGEN.

The civil case is pending at the sala of Judge Marcelino Sayo, of the Manila RTC Branch 45.

Agra said the case of Ma. Elena Bautista cannot apply to his case because the OSG has autonomy and is operationally independent from the DoJ.

Last February, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that Undersecretary Ma. Elena Bautista’s appointment as acting administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is void. However, the SC did not order Bautista to vacate her post as Marina administrator since she had already given up the job of undersecretary for maritime transport.

The SC declared as unconstitutional Bautista’s designation as Marina officer-in-charge in 2008 on grounds that she was also holding the post of undersecretary for maritime transport at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC).