House panel extends detention order for Zuleika Lopez; Sara protests

The House good government and accountability panel has extended the contempt and accompanying detention order to lawyer Zuleika Lopez, chief-of-staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, from five to 10 days.

This developed after the House panel adopted the motion made by House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, saying Lopez’s false statements that the House security personnel barged in her Batasan detention center on Saturday dawn, even if the videos of the incident showed otherwise.

“I would like to consider to move for a reconsideration of our resolution insofar as its limited the period of detention to only five days. I move, Mr. Chair, that the period of detention of Attorney Lopez be 10 days instead of five days,” Castro said.

“Nakita naman natin sa history, iyong kanyang evasive attitude, [iyong] pagsisinungaling niya. Hindi naman siya hinarass o hindi naman siya na-barge,” Castro added.

[We've seen in history ... her evasive attitude, her penchant for lying. She wasn't harassed and there was no barging incident.]

But Duterte questioned the extended detention for Lopez, saying that it is “illegal.”

“Why will you penalize Usec Lopez for an act of the President?” Duterte said, referring to one of the grounds that prompted the House panel to cite Lopez in contempt — Lopez’s alleged violation of due process by relieving former Education Undersecretary Secretary Gloria Mercado.

The Vice President argued that Lopez should not be punished on supposed resignation of officials because the approval of the resignation rests with the Chief Executive, in this case, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Antipolo lawmaker Romeo Acop, a lawyer like the Vice President, then said that Duterte can instead go to court for remedy.

“If you think our action is against the law, the proper remedy is to go to court,” Acop said.

Vice President Duterte then responded, yes, I will go to court.

“Tinutulungan ko lang kayo kasi napapahiya ang Pilipinas. Ganito ba ang House of Representatives?” Duterte said.

(I was just trying to help you out here because this is an embarrassment to the Philippines. Is this what the House of Representatives is made of?)

House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez of Quezon moved to strike out the last statement made by the Vice President, which the House panel agreed to. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News