THE House of Representatives has ordered the release of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez from her 10-day detention.
The release order was signed by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chairperson Manila Representative Joel Chua.
The OVP said Lopez was discharged from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City around 6:30 p.m. of November 30, 2024.
Lopez was detained at the House of Representatives facility after she was cited in contempt by the panel on November 20 for “undue interference” amid its investigation on the alleged irregularities in the use of public funds of the OVP, as well as the Department of Education under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte.
She was ordered to be transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City after Duterte insisted on accompanying her while in detention.
However, Lopez fell ill and was instead transferred to the VMMC.
This has caused Duterte’s outburst, saying the government, particularly the House of Representatives, is putting her staff in hot water in a bid to destroy her name for the sake of House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s presidential bid in 2028.
Duterte cursed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Romualdez, and admitted that she had ordered their killing in the event of her own death.
The Vice President is currently under fire due to these remarks, prompting the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to launch an investigation on her possible violations.
During the panel’s hearing on Monday, November 25, Duterte argued that Lopez’s extended detention is “illegal,” noting that she should not be punished for something she did not do.
One of the grounds that prompted the House panel to cite Lopez in contempt was for failing to observe due process when she ordered the relief of former Education undersecretary Gloria Mercado.
Duterte noted that the approval of the resignation of appointed officials lies with the chief executive, in this case, Marcos. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)