Lopez, Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, is released 10 days after being cited in contempt for evasive answers during a House committee’s probe into the OVP’s alleged misuse of funds

MANILA, Philippines – The House committee on good government on Saturday, November 30, ordered the release of Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, from detention 10 days since she was cited in contempt during the panel’s investigation into Duterte’s alleged misuse of funds.

The House panel issued the release order for Lopez in a document made public on Saturday afternoon.

The House later announced that Lopez had received her release order at 5:34 pm on Saturday.

“Her release was granted after she pledged to attend all future hearings related to the ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte,” the House said in a statement.

At past 8 pm, the OVP announced that Lopez had left the hospital at around 6:30 pm. She was discharged from the hospital almost an hour after receiving the House’s release order.

The House panel earlier moved to cite Lopez in contempt and detain her over evasive answers and “undue interference” in the House proceedings. Lopez had blocked the release of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds report to lawmakers in a letter to the Commission on Audit.

In the probe, Lopez claimed that she was unaware about transactions involving confidential funds, which lawmakers did not buy, as she is Duterte’s highest-ranking official at the OVP.

The Vice President did not take her aide’s detention lightly, especially when the committee ordered Lopez be transferred from the House detention facility to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong on Saturday, November 23.

The order prompted the virtual midnight press briefing where Duterte, with Lopez in her House detention room, threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she was assassinated first. The National Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating Duterte for alleged terrorism over her remark, which she had clarified.

Lopez was transferred to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center on the same day after experiencing an anxiety attack. Her prison transfer did not push through.

Her detention was initially set for five days, but was extended by five more days on November 25, with Deputy Minority Leader France Castro citing Lopez’ absence in the probe.

The House good government committee postponed its November 29 continuation of the probe so that Duterte could face the NBI for its subpoena, but the Vice President was a no-show.