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 3rd District Rep. 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 ₱612.5 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 hinhintayin 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.”
Chua emphasized that the emergency session adhered to House rules and that quorum was properly secured.
“Unang-una nasa rules naman po namin na allowed po kami na magkaroon ng special session via Zoom,” Chua said. “In fact, pati po ‘yung quorum sinecure po namin, tiningnan po namin dahil ito po kasing sitwasyon is emergency situation dahil security risk na po ang pinag-uusapan po natin dito.”
