‘ALARMING ACTS’
VICE President Sara Duterte’s “alarming and unprecedented actions” prompted the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to order the immediate transfer of her detained chief of staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, citing serious security concerns.
Manila Representative Joel Chua, chair of the committee, said the decision to change Lopez’s place of detention was reached during an emergency Zoom meeting on Friday after the panel received two letters that raised red flags among its members.
One letter, from the Vice President’s brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, informed the committee that he had authorized her to stay indefinitely in his office at the House of Representatives. The second letter, from Vice President Duterte herself, requested permission to jog within the House grounds.
“Ang mga miyembro ng ating committee ay nag-request ng Zoom special meeting dahil nga po sa naalarma [sila] dahil sa mga request ng ating Vice President,” Chua said in a press conference on early Saturday morning.
The committee initially referred the letters to House Sergeant-at-Arms retired Police Maj. Gen. Napoleon Taas, as they fell outside the panel’s jurisdiction. However, the circulation of the letters on social media alarmed lawmakers further, leading to calls for an emergency session.
During the Zoom meeting, members raised concerns about the Vice President’s presence in the House complex and its impact on security operations.
“Ang isa nga po sa mga napag-usapan ay ‘yung security risk, hindi lamang po ng ating House of Representatives pati na rin po ng ating Vice President,” Chua explained.
The committee noted that the Vice President’s visits, coupled with her armed security detail, disrupted House operations and diverted resources.
Members concluded that Lopez, who had been cited for contempt in connection with probe into Vice President’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, needed to be moved to a more secure facility to prevent further complications.
“Nakapagdesisyon ang mga miyembro, ito po ay i-transfer doon sa pasilidad na mas may kapasidad at may kakayahan na mai-secure nang sa ganon po ay maging maayos,” Chua said.
The urgency of the situation left the committee with no option but to act before the next scheduled hearing on Monday.
“Hindi naman po natin hihintayin pa na mag-Lunes,” Chua said. “Dahil kung maglu-Lunes pa po baka may mangyari between last night until early morning of Monday, eh, medyo delikado na po ‘yun.”
VP DUTERTE BLOCKS LOPEZ TRANSFER
Vice President Duterte allegedly blocked the lawful transfer of Lopez to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City, in what the House Sergeant-At-Arms can only label as “alarming acts of defiance.”
Chua and Taas held an early morning media briefing yesterday saying Vice President Duterte disrupted the authority and operations of the House of Representatives again with her actions Friday night.
“The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, chaired by Rep. Joel R. Chua, has resolved to transfer Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President, to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City,” Taas said.
“However, the execution of this lawful order was directly obstructed by Vice President Sara Duterte, who took the extraordinary step of introducing herself as Atty. Lopez’s legal counsel and physically intervening to prevent the service of the transfer order,” he added.
He noted that the Vice President’s intervention derailed the House’s protocols and demonstrated blatant disregard for institutional authority and due process.
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability had previously resolved to transfer Lopez following established rules and due process.
However, Vice President Duterte’s actions, described as “acts of defiance,” included assuming the role of legal counsel for Lopez, issuing direct orders to House personnel and disregarding protocols governing House operations.
Taas said the Vice President’s intervention escalated when she physically prevented the transfer of Lopez.
“This act of interference demonstrates a blatant disregard for institutional authority and due process, setting a dangerous precedent for abuse of power. The Vice President’s intervention came during her visit to the House detention facility, which had been initially permitted under specific guidelines,” Taas said.
“Instead of adhering to these parameters, Duterte escalated the situation by overstaying her visit and ignoring repeated directives from the Sergeant-at-Arms to leave the premises. She then locked herself inside the office of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, prompting a lockdown of the entire House premises.”
According to Taas, the specific actions taken by the Vice President to block the order include assuming the role of legal counsel for Atty. Lopez to impede the Committee’s directive; physically preventing House security personnel from executing the transfer order; disrupting House operations and disregarding established rules governing visits to detainees; and compromising security protocols by bringing an excessive and unauthorized armed presence into the complex.
He said the Vice President’s actions caused significant disruptions, including excessive resource strain, reallocation of security personnel and compromised safety within the House premises.
