House releases Duterte chief of staff from detention

Metro Manila, Philippines – The House committee on good government and public accountability has ordered the release of Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, from detention.

In a letter from House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco, PMGen. Napoleon Taas, sergeant-at-arms, was instructed to immediately release Lopez after conducting a medical examination.

The House detained Lopez on Nov. 20 for “undue interference” in the investigation on Duterte’s fund use.

The order was supposed to lapse on Monday, Nov. 25, but the committee decided to extend it into five more days after Lopez skipped the panel’s seventh inquiry.

On Nov. 22, the committee ordered Lopez’s transfer to the women’s correctional facility in Mandaluyong city. This, however, did not push through after Lopez experienced a panic attack upon receiving the order.

She was later instructed to stay at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, where she was confined since Saturday.

Lawmakers had earlier slammed Duterte’s intervention on Lopez’s transfer, calling it a “blatant disregard for institutional authority”.

The national police has filed charges against Duterte and her security detail regarding the incident.