MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte visited her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, at the House of Representatives on Thursday evening. Lopez was detained after being cited for contempt by the House committee on good government and public accountability amid an investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Duterte’s leadership.

Duterte stayed at Rep. Pulong’s office for the night – Velasco

According to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, Duterte arrived at the House and spent time with Lopez at the visitor’s center until the end of visiting hours at 10:00 p.m. Following the conclusion of visiting hours, Duterte moved to the office of her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, where she stayed for the night.

“Natuloy ‘yon, the VP arrived around 7:40 [p.m.] at the premises, and we allowed her to visit Atty. Lopez doon sa visitor’s center, where they both stayed there until around 10:00 p.m. After 10 [p.m.], when they were informed that the visiting hours were over, the VP decided to go to the office of the Congressman from Davao, Congressman Pulong Duterte,” Velasco said.

Regular visiting hours at the House of Representatives are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the House Secretary-General stated that Duterte was granted permission to visit outside these hours due to her schedule.

“We have to be sensitive sa schedule niya, kaya in-allow natin to be able to visit after the normal visiting hours. We have allowed naman in some cases, in the cases of some detainees, we allow the visits beyond the 5PM deadline,” Velasco said.

Velasco also confirmed that the Vice President’s security was in contact with House security to coordinate her movements and plans.

OVP Chief of Staff cited with contempt in relation to confidential funds probe

Lopez, who is under detention for five days, was cited for contempt after interfering with the committee’s hearings on the OVP’s confidential funds (CF) expenses.

The motion to hold Lopez in contempt was introduced by ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, who criticized Lopez for requesting the Commission on Audit (COA) to withhold its audit findings on OVP’s CF expenditures. Castro alleged that the OVP’s actions, including the letter to COA, sought to prevent the House from scrutinizing its use of public funds.

Lopez had previously faced frustration from lawmakers over her responses during the hearings, where she claimed to have no knowledge of certain OVP matters, despite her position as chief of staff. Lawmakers, including Deputy Speaker David Suarez and Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, questioned Lopez’s credibility, citing her involvement in OVP’s correspondence regarding the CF transactions.

Lopez has since appealed the contempt order and apologized to Rep. Castro, explaining that the letter to COA was merely a request. However, Castro maintained that Lopez’s evasiveness during questioning raised further concerns about her role in the OVP’s management of confidential funds. Lopez is expected to remain in detention until the next hearing on Monday, November 25.

Solons urged VP Duterte to explain use of funds.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez urged Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday to personally attend the ongoing House investigation into the alleged misuse of her office’s confidential funds, stressing that she should not delegate the responsibility of explaining the funds to her subordinates.

“Dapat lang siyang sumipot at mag-oath, mag-salita at mag-eksplika dahil lahat ng mga opisyales niya… siya lang yata may alam kung anong nangyari diyan sa mga pondo eh. Kaya dapat siya ang magpaliwanag,” Romualdez said.

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro further stated that if Duterte took an oath to tell the truth and answered lawmakers’ questions, her subordinates would not be required to appear before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

“Kasalanan niya ‘yan. Huwag niya kaming sisihin, dahil ginusto niya ‘yan, na ang mga staff niya ‘yung sumalang. Siya nga ang pinapasalang namin, ayaw niya mag-take oath,” Castro said.

📷 House of Representatives of the Philippines