House panel to discuss decision on Zuleika Lopez's detention

The House committee on good government and public accountability has yet to decide on the detention of Zuleika Lopez, chief-of-staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, as the contempt order against her is set to expire on Saturday, panel vice chairman Jefferson 'Jay' Khonghun said.

At a virtual press conference on Friday, Khonghun said the committee will determine whether they will extend, grant furlough, or release Lopez.

She fell ill after the House panel ordered her transfer to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), and has been confined at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since then.

"'Yung kahihinatnan ng contempt order kay Atty. Zuleika ay pag-uusapan pa ng komite... hindi naman ito pwedeng dedesisyunan ng isang tao lamang, hindi ito pwedeng  desisyunan ng  ating chairman lamang, kailangan maging collective din yung decision," Khonghun said.

[The decision on the contempt order on Atty. Zuleika will be discussed by the committee. It cannot be decided by one person only. It cannot be decided by the chairman alone, it should be a collective decision.]

Khonghun said the committee should decide whether the contempt order will be extended further, or Lopez will be granted furlough or even released.

Among the factors that the panel is considering is the health status of Lopez.

"Hinihingi rin ng komite ang advice ng mga doctors niya sa Veterans Hospital upang makapag desisyon maayos yung mga miyembro at liderato," he said.

[The committee will seek the advice of the doctors from Veterans Hospital so that we can decide appropriately.]

Khonghun emphasized the necessity of the House committee's decision, noting that they do not want to set a precedent that a resource person who is cited in contempt will be released due to technicality.

"'Pag hindi nag-desisyun ang komite, ito ay mapapaso. So talagang sabi nga nila through technicality makalalabas na si Atty. Zuleika. So pag-uusapan natin iyan dahil ayaw naman natin na maging precedent," he said.

[If the committee fails to decide, the [order[ will expire. So through technicality, Atty. Zuleika will be released. So we will discuss that since we don't want it to become a precedent.]

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 the offices held by Vice President Sara Duterte.

Lopez earlier 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. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News