VP Duterte blocks Lopez's prison transfer

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability ordered Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff for Vice President Sara Duterte, to be transferred from a detention facility at the House of Representatives to Women's Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City due to security concerns.

Vice President Duterte physically intervened Friday night to block the transfer order, assuming the role of legal counsel and disregarding institutional authority and protocols, according to Sergeant-At-Arms Napoleon Taas.

Former Senator Leila De Lima on Sunday expressed disagreement with the committee's decision to move Lopez to Mandaluyong Prison, stating that detention facilities are more appropriate for someone in contempt of Congress.

Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said Speaker Martin Romualdez and others involved may be held liable for arbitrary detention as there is no legal ground to detain Lopez outside the jurisdiction of the legislative department.

Lopez, who is currently confined at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center due to medical issues caused by a panic attack, remains in contempt but is not under the jurisdiction of the court.