The Davao City Council approved on Tuesday a resolution expressing sympathy to Atty. Zuleika Lopez, former City Administrator of Davao City and current Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), who was cited in contempt and detained due to alleged “undue interference” in the House proceedings.
Proposed by Councilor Councilor Lorenzo Benjamin “Enzo” Villafuerte, chair of the Civil Political and Human Rights Committee, stated that any infringement of the fundamental rights of Lopez, a fellow public servant and Dabawenyo, demands the public’s utmost sympathy.
Lopez attended the hearing of the House of Representatives to answer questions regarding the budget of the Office of the Vice President on November 20, 2024.
During the said hearing, Lopez was cited in contempt by House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro over alleged undue interference in the said proceedings.
According to Castro, Lopez sent a letter to the Commission on Audit (COA), requesting the commission to disregard a congressional subpoena for audit reports on the office’s confidential expenses in 2022 and 2023 as the basis for the contempt order.
“Atty. Lopez explained that it was merely a respectful request and was not intended to undermine Congress since the audit investigation was not yet final and it was not the right time to release the said findings,” Villafuerte stated.
Despite Lopez’s appeal, Castro was firm on her decision which resulted in Lopez being detained for the initial of five days in a detention facility within the House of Representatives.
“Such order may be considered arbitrary and possibly tantamount to a grave abuse of discretion,” Villafuerte stated.
On the night of November 22, Lopez claimed that several men barged into her detention room forcing her to read an order for her immediate transfer to a correctional institution for women.
According to Villafuerte, such acts of coercion and compulsion are argued as an outright violation of her right to liberty and due process as enshrined in Section 1, Article III of the 1987 Constitution.
“As the chairperson of the Committee on Civil, Political, and Human Rights, it is my duty to remind everyone that Human rights are the most basic right which is bestowed on every individual, and to strongly oppose any attempts to undermine such right,” he said.
Copies of the resolution will be furnished to the City Mayor’s Office through the City Administrator’s Office, the Vice Mayor’s Office, the City Legal Office, and all other offices/departments concerned, for their information, guidance, and appropriate action.
