The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, and House Sergeant-At-Arms Napoleon Taas slammed Vice President Sara Duterte’s “alarming acts of defiance” and "blatant disregard for institutional authority" on Saturday, November 23.
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/23/vp-duterte-finally-leaves-house
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/23/vp-duterte-finally-leaves-house
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00:00The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, chaired by Hon. Joel Archua, has resolved to transfer Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President, to the Women's Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City.
00:21However, the execution of this lawful order was directly obstructed by Vice President Sara Duterte, who took the extraordinary step of introducing herself as Atty. Lopez's legal counsel and physically intervening to prevent the service of the transfer order.
00:43This act of interference demonstrated a blatant disregard for institutional authority and due process, setting a dangerous precedent for abuse of power.
00:55The Vice President's intervention came during her visit to the House Detention Facility, which had been initially permitted under specific guidelines. Instead of adhering to those parameters, the VP escalated the situation by overstaying her visit and ignoring repeated directives from the Sgt. at Arms to leave the premises.
01:19She then locked herself inside the office of Davao City Rep. Paulo Duterte, prompting a lockdown of the entire House premises.
01:50Third, disrupting House operations and disregarding established rules governing visits to detainees. And last, compromising security protocols by bringing an excessive and unauthorized armed presence into the complex.
02:05The Vice President's action caused significant disruptions, including excessive resource strain, the allocation of security personnel, and compromised safety within the House premises. These alarming acts of defiance by the Vice President severely undermined the authority of the House and disrupted its operations.
02:28The committee's decision to transfer Toni Lopez stems from the Vice President's repeated and deliberate breaches of security guidelines, including flouting rules on visitor conduct and overstaying within the House Detention Facility, ignoring orders to vacate the premises and defying House security personnel,
02:50and creating a hostile environment by compromising the safety and functionality of the House complex.
02:58The Vice President's blatant interference in the lawful order of the committee and her abuse of privilege represent an unprecedented attack on institutional processes.
03:12The committee therefore stands firm in its resolution to enforce the transfer of Toni Lopez to the Women's Correctional Facility and calls for swift measures to restore respect for institutional authority and the rule of law.
03:29The committee stresses that the Vice President's actions undermine not just the integrity of the House of Representatives, but also the very principles of accountability and good governance.