Abdiel Franz Bernales

The House Committee on Government ordered the release of Vice President Sara Duterte's Chief of staff, Atty. Zuleika Lopez, from her 10-day detention after being cited in contempt during the panel's investigation into Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds on November 30, Saturday.

Photo Courtesy of GMA Network/ABS-CBN.

House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chairman Rep. Joel Chua ordered Lopez's release to House Sergeant-at-arms Police Maj. Gen. Napoleon Taas.

"Given the undertaking to attend all hearings, you are now ordered to release Atty immediately. Zuleika T. Lopez, after a medical examination was conducted on her," Chua said in the release order dated November 30.

Chua's committee is investigating Duterte for allegedly misusing P500 million in confidential OVP funds and P112.5 million from the Department of Education (DepEd).

On November 23, Lopez's health deteriorated, leading to her being brought to VMMC due to panic attacks after the House panel ordered her moved from the House detention facility to the Mandaluyong Correctional Institute for Women.

The order was a strategic move to force Duterte out of Batasang Pambansa, where the Vice President earlier came to visit Lopez and then refused to leave the premises in defiance of House regulations, escalating the political tension.

Lopez, a longtime Duterte aide and law school classmate, was ordered detained by lawmakers who are investigating the Vice President's alleged misuse of confidential funds.

In a hearing on November 20, the committee cited Lopez in contempt for "undue interference" in its inquiry.

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 she was unaware of 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 to 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 later transferred to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center after she complained of dizziness and nausea, and later to St. Luke's Medical Center, then back to VMMC.
Her transfer from House detention to the two hospitals was marred by disorder and commotion among her supporters and authorities. 

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's 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.