MANILA, Philippines — Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez will step down as Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff after the House of Representatives concludes its hearings on the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), citing the emotional strain of the process.
Duterte announced the decision over the weekend, saying Lopez had been traumatized by her detention ordeal on Saturday.
“She expressed (her intentions) earlier (to resign). She said, ‘I want to resign from the Office of the Vice President.’ And I told her, OK,” Duterte told reporters on Saturday.
Dismayed by the development, Duterte blamed Speaker Martin Romualdez, saying he won.
“So, yes, on that point, Martin Romualdez won. She’s resigning. She will just finish the hearings,” Duterte said.
Lopez was ordered detained on Wednesday by the House committee on good government and public accountability after being cited for contempt for “undue interference” in House proceedings on the confidential budget of the OVP.
However, the committee ordered Lopez’s transfer to the Correctional Institute for Women past 11 p.m. on Friday – a decision that triggered the lawyer’s bouts of vomiting and fainting spells.
Asked about Lopez’s condition, Duterte said she remains traumatized and shaken after her encounters with police officers and personnel of the House’s legislative security.
“She woke up several times in the night, had three dreams of someone smothering her with a pillow. (She had) no appetite. We fed her fruits just so she could take her medications,” Duterte said.
The Vice President said Lopez had been begging not to be left alone.
“She allowed me to go see my children for as long as Sen. Bong Go will replace me and that I come back in the evening. She demanded lawyers stay outside the room 24 hours a day. She wants to meet with lawyers daily,” Duterte added.
The Vice President earlier branded the House’s order and attempt to take Lopez out of the detention facility as “attempted homicide,” and called for accountability from the lawmakers and law enforcers involved.
But House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun explained that moving Lopez to another detention facility was due to security reasons, noting that Duterte’s supporters planned to march to the Batasan complex in Quezon City on Friday.
The scenario, which might result in further disorder, justified Lopez’s immediate transfer “even in the middle of the night” from Congress to a safer detention facility, Khonghun told Teleradyo Serbisyo.
The transfer, he added, would prevent Duterte from making use of the situation and turning it into “theatrics and drama.”
Khonghun said the only way to make Duterte leave Congress is to remove Lopez and bring her to another detention facility.
“Many (Duterte supporters) are calling for them to go to Batasan. The committee has seen all these calls… We have also read all these on social media. We have seen the posts of some political allies of the Vice President. They are making the detention of attorney Lopez political. They want to gain political mileage,” Khonghun said.
“We do not want the situation to get worst. We do not want any untoward incidents to happen out of this scenario created by the Vice President. It’s better to immediately transfer Atty. Lopez in a more secured place,” he added.
Khonghun said the committee on good government and public accountability does not want to be blamed for anything that may happen to Duterte while at the Batasan complex, noting that the facility is not designed to accommodate and secure a high value personality like her.
“We do not want anything bad to happen to the Vice President because we respect (her) Office… When the committee saw that her requests are unreasonable, that it may aggravate the situation, we conducted a meeting and come up with a decision to transfer Atty. Lopez to a more secured facility,” Khonghun said.
He noted that the committee had been very considerate to Lopez by allowing her to see her doctors and leave the detention room for therapy, aside from giving her additional security.
No ill treatment
House secretary general Reginald Velasco said there was no “ill-treatment” on Lopez during her detention, noting that the House “adhered to established protocols and due process, particularly the response to a medical emergency and other allegations raised.”
“At 2:29 a.m. on Nov. 23, Atty. Lopez exhibited symptoms of a medical emergency, including vomiting and signs of a panic attack. By 2:35 a.m., her doctor was granted access to evaluate her condition,” Velasco said in a statement.
“An ambulance from the Quezon City Police District arrived shortly after and by 3:08 a.m. she was en route to the VMMC. Claims of a delayed response are unfounded,” he added. — Jose Rodel Clapano