Several individuals on late Friday night, Nov. 22, allegedly barged into the detention room of Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, at the House of Representatives.
Lopez broke into tears when she held an unexpected midnight press conference, saying several men went into her room in the middle of the night and planned to confiscate her phone.
Lopez was also asked to read something—which was an order of her immediate transfer to Mandaluyong City from Quezon City—but she refused to do so.
She said it was members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who barged into her facility.
"What happened was nakapajama na kami because we're going to sleep, and they [banged at my door] and they just entered, because in this facility the lock is outside," Lopez said.
"It's not just the one person, which is the usual. So we were surprised kasi what's that about. And then suddenly they came, PNP and some other persons parang in uniform," she added.
Lopez said she was read with a transfer order, but she refused to oblige and insisted on staying in her room.
"And then I told them to go out... I pushed them back, and I said get out, get out. And then I called the Vice President because she was here," she added.
Lopez said her life is now "being threatened." She also complained about the “lack of justice” in the country.
"I have my rights. I am not moving. I am not leaving this room," she said.
On Friday, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, ordered the immediate transfer of Lopez to the Women's Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong from House detention in Quezon City.
This came after Duterte insisted on staying within the House compound until after the new year to be able to join Lopez in detention.
Meanwhile, Duterte also appeared at the same press conference and hit the Marcos administration for the political persecution that the OVP staff is currently experiencing.
"Lagi nilang sinasabi disrespectful kami. Eh sila yung disrespectful sa opisina ng Vice President. Kung ano yung ginagawa nila samin, yun lang din yung ginagawa namin sa kanila (They always say that we're disrespectful. But they're the ones disrespecting the OVP. What they're doing to our office, that's what we also do to them)," she said.
"Bastos sila? Bastos din kami (They're rude? Then we're also rude)," she added.