Metro Manila, Philippines – The Impeachment Court subpoenaed on Wednesday, July 8, Zuleika Lopez, the Office of the Vice President chief of staff, as a witness in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
On day three of the impeachment trial, the defense panel played excerpts of a two-hour long recording of a Zoom meeting in November 2024 wherein Lopez was distraught while under House detention. She was held in contempt by the House committee on good government and public accountability during a hearing on Duterte’s alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds.
It is in this same recording that Duterte uttered the alleged threats against the presidential family, which serves as the basis of Impeachment Article IV on grave threats. Lopez is expected to testify in this article.
Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said his panel was ready for the introduction of Lopez as a witness. He also shared that Duterte was unfazed by the news as “everyone was expecting it.”
Meanwhile, the prosecution delayed the witness presentation of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc from Wednesday to next week Monday, July 11.
These are the witnesses scheduled for next week and the order of their appearance:
+Lotoc (Monday)
+OVP chief of staff Lopez (Tuesday)
+Capt. Belinda Belio, executive director of the House Legislative Security Bureau (Wednesday)
Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor, lead prosecutor for Article IV, said the prosecution panel may also summon NBI Director Melvin Matibag as a witness on Wednesday, July 15.
