Camille Naredo

Usec. Zuleika Lopez, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Vice President, leaves the Philippine Senate after a brief visit on July 9. Lopez, who is scheduled to appear before the impeachment court on July 14, declined to reveal the purpose of her visit. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Usec. Zuleika Lopez, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Vice President, leaves the Philippine Senate after a brief visit on July 9. Lopez, who is scheduled to appear before the impeachment court on July 14, declined to reveal the purpose of her visit.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Zuleika Lopez

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178404695377920260709-senate-zuleika-lopez-MT5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Usec. Zuleika Lopez, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Vice President, leaves the Philippine Senate after a brief visit on July 9. Lopez, who is scheduled to appear before the impeachment court on July 14, declined to reveal the purpose of her visit. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Usec. Zuleika Lopez, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Vice President, leaves the Philippine Senate after a brief visit on July 9. Lopez, who is scheduled to appear before the impeachment court on July 14, declined to reveal the purpose of her visit. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez remains part of the prosecutions’ list of witnesses for another impeachment article, according to Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the House prosecutors.</div><p>While the prosecution decided on Tuesday to drop Lopez as witness <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/prosecution-to-no-longer-present-lopez-bello-in-impeachment-trial-2023">for the impeachment article accusing Duterte of “grave threats”,</a> the prosecution will still have to decide whether to request for Lopez to be called to the stand to testify on the impeachment article accusing Duterte of misusing confidential funds.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/duterte-s-camp-surprised-but-respects-withdrawal-of-zuleika-lopez-as-prosecution-witness-2142">READ: Duterte’s camp surprised but respects withdrawal of Zuleika Lopez as prosecution witness</a></div><p>“In our pre-trial order, she is listed in some other article… So it will be a matter of discussion with the public prosecutors when and if Atty. Lopez will be presented for some other article, kasi she is really listed as a witness…That day may come or may not come when she will again be subpoenaed,” Kapunan said.</p><p>On Tuesday, the prosecution informed the Impeachment Court that it will no longer present Lopez and House of Representatives Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Belinda Bello to testify on the “grave threats” article, saying their testimonies are no longer necessary and will be “redundant”, given the developments in Duterte’s impeachment trial.</p><p>The prosecution previously wanted Lopez to testify that she was inside the House of Representatives detention center on November 23, 2024, when Duterte said in a video conference that she spoke to someone to kill the President, the First Lady and the former House Speaker if the supposed kill plot against her succeeds. Lopez would have also been asked to confirm the authenticity of the video.</p><p>But Kapunan said these have already been established.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NOT SCARED, NO ‘BACKDOOR CHANNELING’</strong></div><p>Kapunan stressed that the prosecution’s decision to forgo calling Lopez to the stand for the grave threats article was not a result of “backdoor channeling” or fear of what she might say before the impeachment court.</p><p>“There was no backdoor channeling, and walang atras… I was supposed to handle Atty. Lopez… It really became unnecessary. Those of you who know me know that hindi ako umaatras at all. In fact, I kill a mosquito with an atomic bomb. This was not necessary here,” she said.</p><p>“So siguro hindi na tayo aabot ng Valentine&#x27;s, hanggang Christmas na lang tayo dito,” Kapunan added.</p><p>She also denied that the prosecution’s move to seek subpoena for Lopez was a “bluff”.</p><p>“We don&#x27;t bluff. This is not a bluffing game. This is not a poker game. This is not a chess game. This is not a game. This is a serious matter. When we say we will present, we will present. When we say it is not necessary, it&#x27;s not necessary. Why waste the time of the court? As you can see, the court had become impatient on repeated questions on documents na hindi naman naintindihan ng publiko ‘yung mga questions. I heard some say on social media na napaka slow-paced and boring. Kulang nalang magbenta ng popcorn dyan sa labas para we&#x27;ll stay in our place,” Kapunan said.</p><p>“Every day we evaluate. Since this is a continuing trial, we evaluate what happened during the day and what will happen the next day. So this was a continuing evaluation. But it really depended on what would have transpired today. And it was after today, the nature of the cross-examination, the depth of the questions of the senator-judges, and the clarity of the re-direct examination, that cemented our evaluation that it was no longer necessary,” she added.</p><p>Asked whether the prosecution will seek to subpoena the Vice President to testify on the alleged grave threats she made, Kapunan said she sees no necessity for it, but the decision is up to the House prosecutors.</p><p>“We will defer to the decision of the public prosecutors kasi we&#x27;re just private prosecutors. But if I were asked, it is not necessary for this article,” Kapunan said.</p><p>“As regards to this article, it will be a matter of study. But there are three more articles and we don&#x27;t want to discuss the merits, baka ma-subjudice ako dito. But that is a matter of strategy,” she added.</p>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez remains part of the prosecutions’ list of witnesses for another impeachment article, according to Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the House prosecutors.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez remains part of the prosecutions’ list of witnesses for another impeachment article, according to Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel for the House prosecutors.

Kapunan says Zuleika Lopez listed as witness in another impeachment article

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Kapunan says Zuleika Lopez listed as witness in another impeachment article

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 15, 2026 12:41 AM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

House prosecution panel

Sara Duterte

impeachment trial

Zuleika Lopez

Lorna Kapunan

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