The Office of the Vice President (OVP) confirmed on Monday that Chief of Staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez has left the country for "personal" travel.
Lopez is one of seven OVP officials under investigation by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability for alleged misuse of government funds during Vice President Sara Duterte's watch.
In a statement, the OVP clarified that Lopez's trip, scheduled from November 4 to 16, is personal and unrelated to her official duties.
"Usec. Lopez appropriately submitted documents required of traveling government officials, which were approved by the Vice President," the OVP stressed.
"Speculations about the purpose of this travel are unfounded and unnecessary. We request to respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time," it added.
During the House hearing earlier, lawmakers were informed that Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez departed for Los Angeles, California, on Monday night.
Lopez was one of seven officials invited by the House but absent from the hearing. The others were identified as Ortonio, Sanchez, Villadelrey, Charry Fajarda, and Edward Fajarda, though Acosta's status remains uncertain due to multiple individuals with the same name.
In response, the panel issued an additional subpoena for these seven officials, along with Budget Division Chief Edelyn Rabago and Chief Administrative Officer Kelvin Gerome Teñido.
Previously, the panel had requested that the Department of Justice issue a lookout bulletin for these seven OVP officials, following multiple subpoenas and their repeated absences from earlier hearings.
Manila Representative Joel Chua, who chairs the panel, made the DOJ request after receiving information suggesting that the OVP officials might be planning to leave the country.
