Duterte unsure if chief of staff can attend Monday's House hearing
Vice President Sara Duterte said she is not if her chief-of-staff Zulieka Lopez will be attending the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability's hearing on Monday on the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds.
“I don’t know about Atty. Lopez because I wasn’t listening to her discussion with her doctors and lawyer. Also, her mother will be arriving tomorrow,” Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview on Sunday,
She also said that she asked Lopez to allow her to temporarily leave the Veterans Memorial Medical Center to see her children in exchange for Senators Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa accompanying her at the hospital.
The House of Representatives on Sunday denied allegations that it mistreated Lopez, stressing that her detainment was "guided by protocols".
In a statement, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said they did not refuse the entry of Lopez’s lawyer.
According to Velasco, before her other lawyer came to the House premises, Duterte entered Lopez’s detention room and introduced herself as her counsel.
“The Vice President and Atty. Lopez refused entry to House security personnel serving the transfer order, prompting the latter to read the order from outside the room. At 12:25 a.m., Atty. Lopez’s other lawyer, Atty. Lito Go, was granted access to the detention center,” Velaco said.
“However, instead of complying with the transfer order, Atty. Lopez, with the Vice President by her side, conducted a press conference via Zoom at 1:00 a.m,” he added.
Velasco also rejected the accusation that Lopez’s phone was confiscated from her.
He said that detainees have a time limit for phone use and that after she and her companion were “politely informed” by duty officers that their allotted time was up, they “voluntarily surrendered” their phones.
He also refuted the claim that there was a delay in responding to Lopez’s medical emergency, calling it “unfounded”.
“At 2:29 a.m. on November 23, 2024, Atty. Lopez exhibited symptoms of a medical emergency, including vomiting and signs of a panic attack. By 2:35 a.m., her doctor, Dr. Tiamson, was granted access to evaluate her condition. By 3:00 a.m., an ambulance from the Quezon City Police District arrived, and by 3:08 a.m., Atty. Lopez was en route to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC),” Velasco said.
“After receiving a clean bill of health at VMMC, Atty. Lopez was later transported to St. Luke’s Medical Center by Office of the Vice President (OVP) staff for further evaluation. She was declared stable and subsequently returned to VMMC, accompanied by House representatives to ensure her safety,” he said.
He emphasized that the timeline showed the House’s “swift and coordinated actions”.
Velasco said that the lower chamber’s move to transfer Lopez from its detention room to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City was due to a “unanimous decision” the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability after a meeting its members had on Friday evening.
He added that Duterte “obstructed the implementation of this lawful order” by blocking the detention room and it was followed by Lopez’s medical emergency.
“For humanitarian reasons and to safeguard her well-being, the Secretary General directed that Atty. Lopez remain at VMMC instead of proceeding with the transfer,” he said.
“The House of Representatives remains steadfast in its duty to act with fairness, diligence, and respect for human rights. We assure the public that all concerns will be reviewed thoroughly to ensure accountability and transparency,” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
