SARA TAKES OATH
ACCOMPANYING her staff, Vice President Sara Duterte finally took her oath before the House committee on good government and public accountability, that is investigating on the alleged misuse of funds of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd).
Duterte made news, in both local and international, over the week-end when she violated rules in the House of Representatives by staying overnight inside Batasan Complex and when she threatened to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s chief of staff Atty Zuleika Lopez skipped the Monday’s hearing due to acute stress disorder.
Lopez submitted excuse letter to the committee and attached is a copy of Certificate of Confinement signed by four doctors at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) indicating her condition.
“As you may have been aware, yesterday, 23 November 2024, I was admitted and confined in the VMMC and was subsequently diagnosed with acute stress disorder following the series of incidents leading to my eventful transfer to the said government facility,” Lopez said in her letter.
The certification read “this is to certify that Atty. Zuleika Lopez, a 50-year-old female patient, is currently admitted at our institution. She is being managed for Acute Stress Disorder after presenting with difficulty in sleeping, anxiety and intrusive symptoms in the form of nightmares, flashbacks and avoidance, alongside a diagnosis of Musculoskeletal strain of both shoulders to consider chronic adhesive capsulitis, spinal asymmetry of the thoracic spine, lumbar spondylosis after presenting with shoulder pain with limited range of motion and back pain.”
It can be recalled that Lopez has been cited in contempt by the House committee and ordered detained until November 25.
At the resumption of the hearing, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro moved to extend the contempt order to 10 days. This was approved by the committee.
