Vice President Sara Duterte spent her entire Thursday night inside the House of Representatives as she visited her detained chief of staff who was cited in contempt by a house panel.
House of Representative’s Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed Duterte arrived in the Batasang Pambansa premises in Quezon City around 7:40 o’clock in the evening.
Velasco said the vice president went to the visiting area of the Peoples’ Center where she talked with her chief of staff Attorney Zuleika Lopez up to 10:00 o’clock in the evening.
Duterte then went to the office of her younger brother Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte and still there as of Friday morning.
Lopez has been placed under the custody of the House of Representatives since Wednesday after the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability meted her a five day contempt citation for “undue interference” to their proceedings.
Prior to her visit, Duterte expressed sadness that her staff have been subjected to the series of grilling from the congressmen who investigate the alleged misuse of the OVP’s confidential funds.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez also challenged Duterte to appear in the house inquiry so that her staff are spared from answering the questions which only the vice president can provide answers.
(Inday Sara Duterte 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.