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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Remember her? Zuleika Lopez pencilled to attend OVP budget hearing

Remember her? Zuleika Lopez pencilled to attend OVP budget hearing

Published Aug 14, 2025 08:10 pm

At A Glance

  • The House Committee on Appropriations has tentatively set its budget hearing on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Sept. 12, with Vice President Sara Duterte's chief-of-staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, pencilled to attend the proceedings.
Lawyer Zuleika Lopez (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)
Lawyer Zuleika Lopez (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)


The House Committee on Appropriations has tentatively set its budget hearing on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Sept. 12, with Vice President Sara Duterte's chief-of-staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, pencilled to attend the proceedings.
This was indicated on the tentative schedule shared by appropriations panel chairperson, Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Angela "Mika" Suansing to House reporters on Thursday, Aug. 14.
Conspicuously, Lopez is the only non-head of agency listed to appear in the budget hearings, which traditionally, departments chiefs and Cabinet members go out of their way to attend.
What makes the House budget deliberations on the OVP's proposed 2026 budget is what happened last year.
Vice President Duterte--a Marcos administration and House of Representatives critic--largely didn't participate in budget deliberations by choice.
In one appropriations panel hearing that she did attend on Aug. 27, 2024, the Vice President acted hostile toward the House members, and at times mocked them and ordered them on what to do in the hearing even if she was in no position to do so.
It was here that she famously refused to directly answer questions from Makabayan solons pertaining to the OVP usage of P125 million worth of confidential funds in a span of 11 days, specifically in December 2022. 
"I will forego the defense of the OVP 2025 budget proposal, and we leave it to the House of Representatives to decide on the proposal," the Vice President repeatedly told solons.
As for Lopez, it will also be interesting to see how she acts in her potential return to the House of Representatives.
The last time that Lopez attended a House hearing, she was cited for contempt and ordered detained within premises of Batasan Complex.
Incidentally, the lawyer was slapped this penalty during a Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing on Vice President Duterte's alleged confidential funds misuse on Nov. 20, 2024.
In a bizarre turn of events, Vice President Duterte visited Lopez at the House the following evening and refused to leave despite the end of visiting hours. The House eventually served Lopez a transfer order to the Women’s Correctional Facility.
The Suansing panel will begin the deliberations on the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026 on Monday, Aug. 18.
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