Some leaders of the House of Representatives expressed a serious concern over what they described as a security breach when Vice President Sara Duterte visited her detained staff and stayed overnight inside the Batasang Pambansa Building in Quezon City Thursday night.
The vice president was there to visit her chief of staff Atty Zuleika Lopez who was detained after being cited in contempt by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio ” Dong” Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe and Deputy Speaker David “Jay-jay” Suarez in a statement said Duterte’s actions caused some security concerns.
The house leaders said, they allowed the Vice President to visit her chief of staff even it was already beyond visiting hours yet she stayed in their building the whole night.
The statement further said that for several times Duterte was requested to leave the House’ premises but she allegedly refused to do so which prompted the Sergeant at Arms to lockdown the area to ensure safety of the entire institution.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Duterte stayed inside the office of his brother Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte until Friday morning.
” Ang malaking kapulungan ay para sa lahat ng Pilipino. Hindi ito lugar para abusuhin o gawing personal na espasyo, kahit pa sino ka”. the statement said.
The house leaders assured the public that the incident will not be repeated by strengthening security measures to protect the House as an institution.
Duterte has not yet issued a statement in response to these pronouncements.
(HRep photo)
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.