The House Blue Ribbon panel, formally known as the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s request to join her chief-of-staff, Zuleika Lopez, in detention until November 25 at the Batasang Pambansa Complex.
The panel’s chairperson, Rep. Joel Chua of Manila, said Duterte is not allowed to be detained with Lopez because she is not the subject of the detention order to begin with.
“She (Vice President Duterte) is not allowed because she is not a detainee,” Chua said at a news conference. “We cannot allow it because we have to follow guidelines.”
Chua stressed what the House panel allowed was for Duterte to visit Lopez last night and today (Friday).
For his part, House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms Napoleon Taas, said the Vice President defied House rules by opting to stay overnight inside the office of her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, after she visited Lopez last night.
Taas said the House personnel repeatedly requested the Vice President and her party to leave Batasang Pambansa, but the second highest ranking official of the land defied the appeal from House security personnel.
Duterte remains in Batasang Pambansa as of the moment.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe and Deputy Speaker David Suarez expressed grave concern over Duterte for defying the House rules.
“The House of Congress is gravely concerned about what happened on November 21, 2024, where Vice President Sara Duterte visited our building.
“We opened the door for her out of courtesy by giving her special permission to visit Atty. Zuleika Lopez, who is currently in our custody, even beyond regular visiting hours.
“But after the visiting hours ended at 10:00 p.m., she refused to leave. Instead, she went to the office of her brother Rep. Paolo Duterte and locked herself there,” the three House leaders said in a joint statement in Filipino.
The lawmakers expressed dismay that Duterte, who should have set an example as being the second highest ranking public official of the land, defied the appeal from the House’ Sergeant-at-Arms to leave the premises immediately after her visit to Lopez, but the appeal fell on deaf ears and instead, she defied the House rules.
“We want to remind everyone, especially government officials, that we have rules and protocols that we follow in the Bigger House to ensure security and order. It is not violated lightly, no matter who the person is. When they are not followed, it is as if we have broken the respect for the institution that serves the people,” the statement from the House leaders stated.
“The House of the People is for all Filipinos. This is not a place to abuse or make personal space, no matter who you are. If there is no respect for simple rules, how can we trust that they will be able to respect the greater responsibilities that the people have entrusted to them?
“We will ensure that such an incident does not happen again. We will further strengthen the policies, ensure they are enforced equitably, and protect the integrity of our institution,” the House leaders said.
