House orders release of OVP's Zuleika Lopez

The House of Representatives on Saturday ordered the release of Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez of the Office of the Vice President.

The release order was signed by Manila Representative Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

“In view of the undertaking to attend all hearings, you are hereby ordered to immediately release Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez after a medical examination has been conducted on her,” read the release order addressed to House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas.

The OVP later said in an update that Lopez left the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City at 6:30 p.m.

Lopez had been confined at the VMMC since November 23 after she fell ill following the panel's decision to remove her from the House detention facility and transfer her to the Correctional Institution for Women in the middle of the night.

The detention was supposed to expire on November 25, but the House extended it until November 30.

Lopez was ordered detained on November 20 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.

She also gave "evasive" responses during the probe, according to the panel.

Lopez earlier told the committee that she had no knowledge of how the OVP utilized 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 had no knowledge about the matter being questioned. 

Last week, Duterte said Lopez had stated her intention to resign and that the latter wanted to be with her family. — with a report from Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News