Cheyenne Suarez

Tight security at Quezon City hospital as OVP exec recovers

Article (news)

Ched Rick Gatchalian

Jessie Cruzat

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED)</strong> — Security remains tight at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City following the transfer of Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff Zuleika Lopez who was admitted early Saturday morning after falling ill.</p><p>Lopez was brought to the hospital past 5 a.m. after the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability ordered her transfer to the Women’s Correctional Institution in Mandaluyong City.  </p><p>Initially detained at the House after being cited in contempt, Lopez was first taken to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center before being transferred to St. Luke’s.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1860128850400936370&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-11-23T02%3A30%3A04.462361%3A995daf5c-a326-4e87-8a9a-f967a671dbc7%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=ecb16016709f9dc05928b58b243f88ddb0ad8ff8&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:624px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1860128850400936370"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>Vice President Sara Duterte accompanied Lopez throughout the process and has stayed by her side since last night.  </p><p>In a chance interview, Vice President Duterte strongly criticized House Speaker Martin Romualdez for allegedly ordering a lockdown of the House premises, which she claimed delayed the ambulance’s entry and medical response.  </p><p>Duterte expressed uncertainty about Lopez’s condition but placed her trust in the doctors’ healthcare plan and stated that any medical decisions would follow the recommendations of the doctors and Lopez’s mother.</p><p>She noted that her chief of staff was largely unresponsive when spoken to, though she managed to answer some of the doctors’ questions.  </p><p>She blamed the current political turmoil on Romualdez’s alleged power plays and criticized the president’s lack of decision-making skills, which she claimed has left the country in a dire state.  </p><div><strong>DELA ROSA CALLS TRANSFER ORDER UNFORTUNATE, UNJUSTIFIED</strong></div><p>Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa visited St. Luke&#x27;s to show support for Vice President Duterte.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/23/ovp-chief-of-staff-zuleika-lopez-brought-to-hospital-from-house-detention-0828">• OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez brought to hospital from House detention</a></div><p>The lawmaker the decision to transfer Lopez to a correctional facility from the House, where she has been detained for contempt.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s very unfortunate dahil &#x27;yung tao &#x27;di pa na-file-an ng kaso, kung i-treat mo parang convicted na, dadalhin mo sa Women&#x27;s Correctional. Women&#x27;s correctional acility is a place for convicted criminals,&quot; he said.</p><p>(It&#x27;s very unfortunate because there is no case filed yet, but the way you treat her it&#x27;s like she&#x27;s convicted already, that you will transfer her to Women&#x27;s Correctional. Women&#x27;s correctional facility is a place for convicted criminals)</p><p>Dela Rosa said that he once served as Bureau of Corrections Director General in 2018, so he knows the situation in the facility where &quot;convicted felons [serve] their sentence&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/23/vp-duterte-speaker-s-interest-in-presidency-behind-house-probe-into-confidential-funds-1003">• VP Duterte: Speaker&#x27;s interest in presidency behind House probe into confidential funds</a></div><p>&quot;Bakit mo ikulong mo &#x27;yung babae, isang abogado na pinatawan lang ng citation for contempt, ngayon dadalhin mo na sa facility for the convicted criminals? It&#x27;s very unjustified para sa &#x27;kin,&quot; he explained.</p><p>(Why will you put the woman in prison, a lawyer who was only cited for contempt, now you will bring her to a facility for the convicted criminals?)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/23/vp-duterte-blocks-house-order-to-transfer-chief-of-staff-to-mandaluyong-0907">• VP Duterte blocks House order to transfer chief-of-staff to Mandaluyong</a></div><p>In a separate statement, Sen. Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go shared sentiments similar to those of Dela Rosa, a fellow member of former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino.</p><p>&quot;Nakikiusap po ako sa ating mga kapwa mambabatas sa House of Representatives na hinay-hinay lang sa pagpapatupad ng contempt citation at igalang po ang karapatan ng mga resource persons,&quot; he said.</p><p>(I am appealing to fellow lawmakers at the House of Representatives to take it easy on implementing contempt citations and to respect the rights of resource speakers)</p><p>He said these only cause resource speakers anxiety and that rules on congressional investigations should not be abused.</p><p>&quot;I am appealing for reconciliation,&quot; Go also said. </p><p>&quot;I appeal for reconciliation among our leaders. Ang kailangan ng mga Pilipino ngayon ay hindi kontrobersya, hindi away pulitika. Ang kailangan nila ay maayos na serbisyo at malasakit sa kapwa Pilipino. &quot;</p><p>(Filipinos do not need controversy or political conflict. What they need is public service and fellow feeling for their compatriots)</p>

<p>Senator Bato Dela Rosa on Saturday showed his "support" to Vice President Sara Duterte as he visited St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, where the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez was transferred after feeling ill.</p>

Senator Bato Dela Rosa on Saturday showed his "support" to Vice President Sara Duterte as he visited St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, where the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez was transferred after feeling ill.