On Saturday, the House of Representatives ordered the release of Zuleika Lopez, an official from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), after she had been hospitalized. Lopez had been in the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since November 23 after becoming ill when she was moved from the House detention facility to a women’s correctional institution in the middle of the night.
The decision was made after a medical check-up, and she was required to attend all future hearings. Lopez had been detained on November 20 for allegedly interfering in an investigation about how the Vice President’s office used its confidential funds. The investigation committee claimed she gave unclear answers during the questioning. Lopez, however, insisted that she knew nothing about the use of the funds, explaining that her job at the OVP was to manage and oversee the office’s projects, not its finances.
Although Lopez faced accusations, Vice President Sara Duterte defended her, saying Lopez’s chief of staff had no knowledge about the funds being questioned. Duterte also shared that Lopez planned to resign so she could spend more time with her family. Lopez’s detention was initially supposed to end on November 25 but was extended until November 30 by the House.
