The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability cited the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez in contempt for “undue interference” during the panel's inquiry on Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte's office and the Department of Education's (DepEd) confidential funds.
During the House probe on Wednesday, November 20, ACT Teacher's Party-list Rep. France Castro moved that Lopez be cited in contempt. In a letter addressed to the Commission on Audit (COA), the OVP executive asked the former not to comply with the House panel's order.
The Committee previously issued a subpoena against the VP's executives, and ordered the COA to submit audit reports on the OVP and the DepEd's use of its confidential and intelligence funds.
However, Lopez maintained that the letter was a “respectful request” to the state auditors for COA to consider their office's position. They merely raised some questions to the COA, as they feel that it was just the issues that need to be addressed.
“I’m sorry Attorney Lopez, dahil ikaw yung nakapirma dito, and according to our rule, one of the reasons is the undue interference in the conduct of proceedings. So may I move, na nag-violate si Attorney Lopez dito sa ating trabaho. Section 11 letter F Undue Interference in the conduct of proceedings, may I move to cite Attorney Lopez in contempt,” Castro moved.
After the panel approved Castro's motion, Lopez pleaded that the Committee reconsider its decision.
“There was no intention to demand from them, or to order them, or to commandeer them into something that they did not want to do. It was something that we requested from the COA. At the end of the day, it is still the COA who will decide best," Lopez explained.
The OVP executive also apologized to Castro, but the lawmaker stood firm with her motion as the former had been evasive with the questions asked earlier during the hearing.
Castro moved Lopez to be detained on the House premises until November 25. The panel Chair and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua asked that the lower chamber's sergeant-at-arms find a room for Lopez.
“You still have your right to appeal, kahit bukas. That's the right of every resource person or witness being cited in contempt,” Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano said.
She will be detained for a maximum of 10 days due to the ruling violation of Undue Interference, which requires a 10-day detention order for the violator. However, Paduano assured that the ruling would be automatically lifted upon the hearing's resumption.
