Sara Duterte's bid to join staff in Batasan detention denied by House panel

The House good government and public accountability panel on Friday rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s request to join her chief-of-staff, Zuleika Lopez, in detention until November 25 in Batasang Pambansa Complex.

House good government and public accountability panel chairman Joel Chua said Duterte cannot be allowed to be detained with Lopez because she is not the subject of the detention order to begin with.

“Hindi po siya (Vice President Duterte) allowed [sa loob ng detention] kasi hindi naman siya detainee,” Chua said in a press conference.

(She is not allowed because she is not a detainee.)

“Hindi po natin napagbigyan kasi mayroon po tayong sinusunod na guidelines,” Chua added.

(We cannot allow it because we have to follow guidelines.)

The Chua-led panel also thumbed down the request of Davao city Representative Paolo Duterte that Lopez be detained in his congressional office in the Batasan premises rather than in the Batasan detention center.

“Hindi natin pinayagan [iyang request ni Congressman Duterte]. Otherwise, susunod na iyong iba pa na kapag may connection o kaibigan na Congressman ay ganun na lang ang gagawin. It is a bad precedent,” Chua said.

(We did not allow that because otherwise, those who will be detained [due to contempt order] in the future would follow such lead as long as they have connections or are friends with a certain House member.)

Chua, however, said the House panel allowed Duterte to visit Lopez last night and today.

Moreover, the committee granted Lopez’s five requests while in detention, subject to certain conditions, such as:

• having a companion while in detention, provided that the companion is an immediate family member;
• daily visits from her physician provided that it is in coordination with Sergeant at Arms;
• allow her to attend regular therapy sessions for her frozen shoulder outside Batasang Pambansa, provided that she will be escorted by the House of Representatives security personnel;
• security for herself provided that the personnel will come from the ranks of the House of Representatives security detail; and
• visit from the members of her staff and counsel on Sunday, November 24, to prepare for the November 25 inquiry on the budget use of the OVP and the DepEd during the Vice President’s term as Education chief.

House Sergeant at Arms Napoleon Taas, for his part, said the Vice President defied House rules by camping overnight inside the office of her brother, Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, after her visit to Lopez last night.

Taas said the House personnel repeatedly requested the Vice President and her party to leave Batasang Pambansa, to no avail.

Lights off

“At about 11:30 pm [on Thursday night], I personally appealed to the protocol and the security of the Vice President at room 304 if they could possibly already leave the premises as there is always a practice during long weekends that we turn off power in all our buildings," Taas said.

"Fridays and weekends are not working days in the House, so we turn off power to save on energy. That was the standard [protocol],” he added.

“Last night, in deference to the Vice President, we waited until 12:30 am before we turned the power off," Taas said. 

"By 7:30 am today, we had to turn the power on upon the request of our personnel and finance office who will be at work. At 10:53 am today, we noticed the Vice President together with her entourage left the room of Congressman Duterte and we followed her all the way to the detention facility,” he added.

Chua said such action shows “lack of respect for the institution.”

The Vice President remains in Batasang Pambansa as of the moment.

Lopez has been cited in contempt and ordered detained until Monday, November 25, when the panel resumes its probe on Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd budget use.

Lopez has been cited in contempt after she confirmed that she signed a letter asking state auditors not to comply with a subpoena from the House appropriations panel concerning submission of audit reports on the confidential fund use of the OVP and DepEd in years 2022 and 2023.

The Vice President has maintained that she has never misused public funds, and that the ongoing House panel inquiry is not in aid of legislation but a dry run of an impeachment bid against her. 

No extraction

Since the Vice President remains within the Batasang Pambansa, Chua and Taas appealed to her to observe visiting hours and leave Batasan premises by 7 pm.

Chua said that the Vice President will unduly burden the House personnel who are just doing their jobs if she will continue to camp out at his brother’s congressional office.

“Ako po, simple lang po. Sana naman po yung respeto po at yung leniency na binibigay po natin sa ating Vice President, eh suklian rin naman po niya ng respeto sa atin. The Sergeant at Arms at the House personnel are just doing their jobs based on guidelines,” Chua said.

(It is really simple. We are giving her respect and leniency here, and she should reciprocate them. ) 

“Ang Vice President, eh, high profile po yan na personality. Pag may nangyari po dyan, sagutin  din po nila yan. So, sana po,...wala naman pong masama na makipagtulungan sa amin. Lahat naman po, as long as within the bounds of law ay ibibigay naman po namin. She could pay a visit on another day. Ang hinihiling lang po namin, sana po sumunod lamang po. Respect begets respect," Chua added.

(She is the vice President, a high profile personality. If something happens to her, the responsibility will fall on the Sergeant at Arms. So, there is nothing wrong with working with us here because we are granting requests as long as they are within the bounds of the law. We wish that she follow the rules.)

Asked if it would come to a point when the House of Representatives security personnel would have to extract the Vice President out of Batasan if she decided to continue to camp out inside, Taas said he does not see such a scenario happening.

“The Vice President is an honorary member of the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) Class of 1984, the same class I belong to. We call each other mista. Kaya hindi ako magsasawa ng makikiusap sa aking mista. Dahil base po as aming karanasan at kasama na po ‘yung graduates, ‘yung mga bumubuo ng PMA, kapag po mista sa mista ang nagpakiusapan, nagbibigayan naman po,” Taas said.

(I will never get tired of making a peaceful appeal to her because based on experience, mistas give in to each other's requests. )

“So, umaasa pa rin ako at iyon ang patuloy kong gagawin,” Taas added.

(I remain hopeful and that peaceful appeal is what I will continue to do.) -VAL/NB, GMA Integrated News