Atty. Zuleika Lopez is set to stand as another prosecution witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte in the second week. Prosecution lawyer Atty. Lorna Kapunan told the press that Lopez, the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) chief of staff, was subpoenaed for Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14.
On Monday, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Bangsamoro Regional Director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc stood as a witness in the trial. In a late-night online press conference in November 2024, Duterte claimed she had already contracted someone to kill President Bongbong Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. At the time, Lotoc headed the NBI’s cybercrime division.
The press conference was held when Lopez was detained at the House of Representatives, as she was cited for contempt during the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s probe into the OVP’s confidential funds.
After Lotoc’s time at the stand on Monday, Lopez is now expected to be questioned by the prosecution on Tuesday afternoon, on the fifth day of the impeachment trial.
Why is Lopez a Prosecution Witness?
House prosecutor Cong. Leila de Lima told NewsWatch Plus on Friday, July 10, that because of Lopez’s close relationship with Duterte, “She will not be cooperative. She will not be espousing the cause of the prosecution but rather the cause of the defense, kaya ituturing siyang hostile [witness].”
Witnesses brought in by the opposing party are already presumed hostile. If the judge, in this case presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, declares Lopez a hostile witness, the prosecution lawyers who brought her in are allowed to ask leading questions or challenge her testimony.
How Far Back Do Duterte and Lopez Go?
Lopez served as secretary of the Davao City Council from 2007 to 2010, under the vice mayorship of Duterte. When Duterte was elected mayor in 2010, Lopez was appointed city administrator. But in August 2010, a mere month after her appointment, she took an “indefinite leave” from office because she had not yet qualified for the position, having served the city government for only three years instead of the required five, according to SunStar Davao.
Lopez was given the position again in 2016, when Duterte was re-elected mayor. In 2022, when Duterte won the vice presidency, Lopez was appointed her chief of staff. Lopez accompanied the vice president during the Senate’s budget deliberations in September 2024, helping her defend the OVP’s use of confidential funds, which would later become a point of scrutiny for Duterte and one of the charges against her in the present impeachment trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zuleika Lopez first served Sara Duterte in 2007, when she was made secretary of the Davao City Council under Duterte’s vice mayorship.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s grave threats charge is tied to alleged assassination threats she made against President Bongbong Marcos during an online press conference. The briefing was held in the context of Zuleika Lopez’s detention at the House of Representatives on November 23, 2024.
Vice President Sara Duterte held a press conference on November 23, 2024 to bring attention to the detention of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, at the House of Representatives. Lopez was cited for contempt during the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s probe into the OVP’s confidential funds.
Having Zuleika Lopez stand as a witness for the prosecution may be a strategy. House prosecutor Cong. Leila de Lima says that Lopez may be declared a hostile witness, which would allow the prosecution to ask leading questions and challenge her testimony.
According to the Philippines’ Rules of Court, a hostile witness is a witness who has shown adverse interest or unjustified reluctance to testify in favor of the party that called them. The examining attorney from that party may then ask the witness leading questions or challenge their testimony.
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