By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez has been released on Saturday (Nov. 30), after spending 10 days in detention at the House of Representatives following a contempt order issued earlier by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Her release was granted after she pledged to attend all future hearings related to the ongoing investigation of the alleged misuse of P612.5 million confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) during the term of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In an order signed by Blue Ribbon Chair Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua and attested to by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas was instructed to release Lopez following the completion of a medical examination.
The OVP chief of staff was cited for contempt and detained on November 20 for what the committee described as “undue interference” in the legislative process and for providing “evasive” answers during the inquiry.
Said interference originated from a letter she sent to the Commission on Audit, containing a request for the constitutional body to disregard a congressional subpoena for audit reports on the OVP’s confidential expenses in 2022 and 2023.
The initial order of Lopez’s 5-day detention at the House premises was extended to 10 days after lawmakers’ consideration of the totality of her actions as an audacious move to disrupt the House panel’s probe.
The committee had initially decided to transfer Lopez to Mandaluyong City due to alleged security breaches linked to Vice President Duterte’s repeated visits to the House premises.
However, Lopez was later brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City after collapsing and vomiting, and she remained at the hospital until her release order, which was granted on humanitarian grounds. (with report from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News)
-avds