Sara says Zuleika Lopez removal from House detention facility was 'attempted homicide'

Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday claimed that the order to transfer her chief of staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez from the House of Representatives’ detention facility to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) was an “attempted homicide.”

“Naniniwala ako na it was attempted homicide because she feared for her life. ‘Pag nakakita siya ng uniform ng police, natataranta siya. Kasi imaginine mo ba naman nine [police officers] ang biglang papasok sa kuwarto mo,” Duterte said in an early morning media interview at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.

(I believe it was attempted homicide because she feared for her life. When she sees a police uniform, she gets agitated. Imagine, nine [police officers] suddenly entered her room.)

Lopez was brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) after she felt ill following the low chamber’s order to transfer her to CIW.

An emotional Lopez earlier faced a virtual news conference to express her concern about the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability's decision to remove her from the House detention facility in the middle of the night.

''This is a threat to my life,'' she said.

GMA News Online contacted the office of Speaker Martin Romualdez and the Philippine National Police for comment and will update this story once they issue statements.

Lopez was ordered detained at the lower chamber after she was cited in contempt for her supposed "undue interference" in the panel’s investigation into the confidential funds of offices held by Vice President Sara Duterte.

The detention is until Nov. 25, the date of the committee's next hearing on the disbursement of confidential funds by the OVP and the Department of Education under Duterte.

“Ang plano nila ay iipitin nila nang iipitin hanggang sa muntik na itong mamatay para makuha na nila ang ebidensya,” Duterte said.

(Their plan is to put undue pressure until this person almost dies, just to get evidence.)

Romualdez, Marcos

Duterte also claimed that the entire fiasco was because of Romualdez' political plans. 

“All because we are in this f**** farce… All because gusto ni Martin mag president,” the Vice President said, refering to the House Speaker Romualdez. 

The Vice President described the ongoing probe as a “waste of time.”

With this, she slammed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos for "failing to control" his cousin, Romualdez. 

“Hindi siya ma-control ng Presidente natin na hindi marunong magdesisyon. Walang desisyon making skills at all, zero,” Duterte said.

“We are wasting time as a country on what we need to do… Fishing for evidence so that we can demolish a family that is a threat to our personal gain,” she added.

The Vice President further said that the government should rather be “working on being competitive, jumping to middle income, aspiring to be a first world economy.”

“We made a mistake with that f**** Marcos… and we are wasting time,” Duterte said.

Marcos was Duterte's running mate in the 2022 polls. 

READ: Uniteam no more: Timeline of Marcos-Duterte tandem's woes

GMA News Online has reached out to the Presidential Communications Office for comment.

Duterte also claimed of contracting an assassin in case anything bad happened to her.

'Wag kang mag-alala sa security ko kasi may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, 'pag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez," Duterte said during a presser.

“Nagbilin na ako, Ma’am. ‘Pag namatay ako, wag ka tumigil hanggang hindi mo mapapatay sila. And then he said yes,” the Vice President after being asked during the media briefing.

The Presidential Communications Office said Duterte's comments has been referred to the Presidential Security Command.

"Acting on the Vice President’s clear and unequivocal statement that she had contracted an assassin to kill the President if an alleged plot against her succeeds, the Executive Secretary has referred this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action," the Palace said in a statement.

‘Why antagonize a detainee?

Duterte also questioned the presence of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team at the VMMC.

“Tignan niyo ‘yung dami ng SWAT diyan. Ano ‘yun, gangster? Drug lord? Chief of staff lang ‘yun ng Office of the Vice President na for the record hindi na nag-abscond, hindi fugitive. Nag-attend ng hearing. Nagpa-detain to cooperate,” she said.

(Look at how many SWAT there are. What's that, [is she a] gangster? Drug lord? She is just a chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President who for the record did not abscond, did not become a fugitive. She attended the hearing. She allowed herself to be detained to cooperate [with the House].)

“We do not understand, why do you have to antagonize a detainee who is fully cooperating sa lahat ng kailangan niyang gawin para matapos lang ang k****** (in all that is needed just to end this f******) hearing na ‘yan na money-making scheme ng mga congressman,” she added.

Lopez had confirmed to the committee investigating the disbursement of confidential funds by the OVP and the DepEd that it was she who signed the letter to the Commission on Audit, asking the latter not to comply with the House subpoena on audit reports on the fund releases.

Confidential funds

Lopez on Wednesday told a congressional hearing that she has no knowledge of how the OVP utilizes its confidential funds, saying her role in the OVP is only to oversee the institutionalization and implementation of all the socioeconomic projects of the office.

In Lopez’s defense, Duterte said that her chief of staff really has no knowledge of the matter being questioned.

“Bakit nila kinikwestyon ang management style ko na on a ‘need-to-know’ basis ‘yung mga tao? Kung ang chief of staff pakiramdam ko hindi niya kailangan malaman ang isang bagay, bakit ko sasabihin sa chief of staff?” the Vice President said.

(Why are they questioning my management style wherein people are on a 'need to know' basis? If I feel that my chief of staff does not need to know something, why will I tell her?) —KG/ VAL, GMA Integrated News