MANILA, Philippines — A group of lawyers denounced the detention of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) chief of staff by the House of Representatives.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Quezon City Trial Lawyers League Inc. (QCTLL) characterized the action by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability as a “blatant disregard” of the constitutional rights to due process and presumption of innocence of Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez.
The league cited the committee’s decision to transfer Lopez from the House detention facility to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City on Nov. 22.
The controversy stemmed from a legislative inquiry held on Nov. 20, during which Rep. France Castro accused Lopez of issuing a letter in August 2024 requesting the Commission on Audit (COA) to disregard a congressional subpoena related to the OVP’s confidential expenses for 2022 and 2023. Castro also alleged that Lopez gave evasive answers during the proceedings.
Lopez was cited in contempt and initially detained at the House facility. A subsequent motion for reconsideration filed by Lopez was left unacted upon, prompting the QCTLL to describe the move as “grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.”
The group argued that the letter cited by Castro had no direct relevance to the inquiry and criticized the lack of formal proceedings to substantiate the claims of evasiveness. They also pointed to the Supreme Court’s precedent in Ong v. The Senate of the Philippines, which emphasized stricter due process safeguards for witnesses accused of false or evasive testimony in legislative inquiries.
QCTLL President lawyer Victor Rodriguez, along with the league’s board members, urged the House committee to resolve Lopez’s motion for reconsideration on its merits and uphold constitutional guarantees of due process and presumption of innocence.
The league emphasized that while Congress has the authority to cite individuals in contempt, such powers must not be wielded in an abusive or arbitrary manner.
Lopez remains under confinement at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center as of posting time.
