OVP chief of staff Lopez released after 10-day detention, commits to attending future hearings

OFFICE of the Vice President (OVP) Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez was released Saturday after spending 10 days in detention based on a contempt order issued by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee.

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.

In an order signed by Blue Ribbon Chair Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua and attested to by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas was instructed to release Lopez following the completion of a medical examination.

The order underscored Lopez’s formal commitment to fully cooperate with the ongoing legislative investigation.

“In view of the undertaking to attend all hearings, you are hereby ordered to immediately release Atty. Zuleika T. Lopez after a medical examination has been conducted on her,” the release order stated.

Lopez was cited for contempt and detained on November 20 for what the committee described as “undue interference” in the legislative process and for providing “evasive” answers during the inquiry.

The accusation of interference stemmed from a letter she sent to the Commission on Audit, urging the constitutional body to disregard a congressional subpoena for audit reports on the OVP’s confidential expenses in 2022 and 2023.

Initially ordered to serve five days of detention at the House premises, Lopez’s stay was extended to 10 days after lawmakers described the totality of her actions as a clear attempt to obstruct the investigation.

The case gained widespread attention when Vice President Duterte personally intervened to prevent Lopez’s transfer to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on November 22.

Duterte, who introduced herself as Lopez’s legal counsel, reportedly obstructed the execution of the transfer order, a move criticized by House officials as further “undue interference.”

The committee had initially decided to transfer Lopez to Mandaluyong City due to alleged security breaches linked to Vice President Duterte’s repeated visits to the House premises.

However, Lopez was later brought to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City after collapsing and vomiting, and she remained at the hospital until her release order, which was granted on humanitarian grounds.