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.

‘Penalize Marcos’

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.

Duterte said that House members should instead question the President who is the appointing authority for undersecretaries and assistant secret

“Dapat tinatanong ng House of Representatives bakit tinanggap ni Pangulong Marcos ang resignation nung mga Usec. at Asec. na ‘yun sa Department of Education,” she said in an ambush interview.

(The House of Representatives should be asking why President Marcos accepted the resignation of the Usecs. and Asecs. in the Department of Education.)

“Bakit nila pine-penalize si Usec. Lopez? Hindi ba dapat ang pine-penalize nila ang appointing authority?”

(Why are they penalizing Usec. Lopez? Shouldn't they be penalizing the appointing authority?)

Duterte also said that Lopez is not evading questions about confidential funds because she has no knowledge about it.

Lopez previously said she has no idea of how the OVP utilizes, disburses, nor liquidates its confidential funds.

‘Go to court’

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. — with Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA Integrated News