November 23, 2024 | 10:37am
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte intervened to stop the transfer of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, to the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) after visiting her detention late at night.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability issued a transfer order for Lopez, following Duterte’s insistence on staying at the Batasang Pambansa complex while her chief of staff remains detained.
At a press conference on Saturday, November 23, House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas revealed the Legislative Security Bureau (LSB) was surprised to find Duterte inside Lopez’s detention room when they attempted to serve the transfer order for the second time.
Their first attempt had been around 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
LSB Executive Director and retired AFP Captain Belinda “Belle” Bello personally went to Lopez’s chambers to read the order. However, Duterte interrupted the proceedings, stating that she would act as her chief of staff’s lawyer.
Unconstitutional. Citing Article 7, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) said the vice president is prohibited from directly or indirectly practicing another profession. Duterte, as a lawyer, is affected by this provision.
When Bello managed to read the transfer order to Lopez past midnight, Duterte’s chief of staff repeatedly asked the LSB to leave, insisting that she wanted her lawyers present while reading the order.
Taas also said that Duterte’s presence in the detention facility violated visiting hours, which are strictly limited to 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
“Alam niyo po hindi po pwede ‘yun. That being the vice president, we bent over backwards and allowed her to go beyond House rules limitations natin. Pinagbigyan po natin pero sumobra,” he said.
(You know, that’s not acceptable. As the vice president, we bent over backwards and allowed her to bypass the limitations of our House rules. We accommodated her, but she went too far.)
Four reasons why. Taas later reported to the good government panel that Duterte “blocked the transfer order” by assuming Lopez’s legal counsel, attempting to “physically prevent” security from enforcing the order, “disrupting operations” and visiting rules, and “compromising security protocols” by bringing in unauthorized armed personnel.
Why Lopez is being transferred
Meanwhile, Chua explained this all began when they received two letters: one from Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao, 1st District) allowing his sister to stay in his office indefinitely, and another from the vice president requesting permission to jog within House premises.
He said that committee members were concerned about the “security risk” posed by the vice president camping at the House of Representatives. To discuss their course of action, they held a Zoom “special session” from 7:30 to 8 p.m.
“One of the topics discussed was the security risks, not only for our House of Representatives but also for our vice president,” Chua said in Filipino.
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For this reason, the committee decided to transfer Lopez to a more secure facility, such as the CIW in Mandaluyong City. This move, Chua explained, ensures that no security posts at the House are left unattended.
“We all know that when the vice president is present, our security becomes reduced as it focuses on the vice president, leaving other posts unattended,” he said in Filipino.
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Why was the transfer order read so late? Chua also said the transfer order was read late at night due to the urgency of the situation, which required an immediate response.
“We couldn’t wait until Monday because if we did, something might happen between last night and early Monday morning, and that would be quite dangerous,” he added.
Taas also mentioned the House rules do not specify when or at what time orders like this should be implemented. He believes the “tensions” in Congress justify the immediate execution of the transfer order.
Lopez’s hospitalization
After the transfer order was read, Lopez reportedly experienced a panic attack, according to a doctor from the Philippine National Police (PNP) present at the scene. Taas said the report also indicated stable vital signs and that she was “in good shape.”
However, Duterte told the media that her chief of staff had been vomiting earlier because she “didn’t feel safe” and “feared for her life.”
At 3:01 a.m., a PNP ambulance brought Lopez to Veterans Memorial Medical Center for a check-up. She was later transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center at 5:39 a.m.
A visibly angry and frustrated Duterte also demanded that House Speaker Martin Romualdez cover all of Lopez’s hospitalization expenses if her chief of staff were to die.
Lopez was cited for contempt at the good government panel’s sixth hearing on November 20 for “intellectual dishonesty” regarding Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds as vice president and former education secretary.
The committee ordered her detention for five days, until November 25, when the next hearing is scheduled.
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