Lawyer Zuleika Lopez's transfer order to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City did not sit well with Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

"Hindi tama. Hindi talaga tama. At the present situation she is in right now, kailangan talaga niya ng medical attention (It's not right. It's really not right. At the present situation she is in right now, she truly needs medical attention)," he told reporters in a chance interview on Saturday, Nov. 23 outside of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

Dela Rosa said he traveled all the way from Baguio to show support to Vice President Sara Duterte and Lopez, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief-of-staff.

Dela Rosa stated that he was roused from sleep at around 2 a.m. after receiving a call that the Vice President needed help.

"Bumiyahe kaagad ako dito from Baguio para matingnan lang kung anong sitwasyon nila (I immediately traveled here from Baguio just to see what their situation is)," he added.

He said that he has yet to discuss this with former president Rodrigo Duterte, Sara's father.

Before dawn on Saturday, Nov. 23, the House Sergeant-at-Arms Office tried to enforce an order of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to transfer Lopez to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City. 

Lopez had been under House custody since late Wednesday night Nov. 20, after she was cited for contempt during a hearing by the good government panel.

But Vice President Duterte intervened and prevented Lopez's transfer.

Asked to comment on the incident, Dela Rosa said as a senator, he would observe inter-parliamentary courtesy regarding the incident.

While Lopez was neither accused of a crime nor had any pending cases, she was treated like a convict en route to the Women’s Correctional Facility, Dela Rosa said.

"Women’s Correctional facility is a place for convicted criminals. I’ve been the Director General of BuCor and alam ko kung anong sitwasyon ko diyan sa loob (I know the situation inside). ‘Yan ay kulungan ‘yan ng mga (That is a detention facility for those) serving sentence, convicted felons serving sentence," he said.

"Bakit mo ikulong doon ‘yung isang babae, isang abogado na pinatawan lang ng citation of contempt, ngayon dadalhin mo na sa facility for the convicted criminals? (Why are you putting that woman, a lawyer who was just given a citation for contempt, in a facility for convicted criminals). It’s very unjustified para sa akin (for me)," he said.

Asked whether or not this transfer was unlawful, the senator described it as unreasonable.

"Magpa-contempt contempt kayo ng tao tapos hindi niyo kayang bantayan diyan sa inyong facility? Meron man kayong facility for persons cited in contempt, ‘di ba? You should have your own facility diyan sa Kongreso para bantayan ninyo. Bakit niyo dalhin doon? (You're going to hold someone in contempt and then not be able to monitor them in your facility? Don’t you have a facility for people who are cited for contempt? You should have your own facility there in Congress to keep an eye on them. Why take them there?)" he added.

It would have been better, according to Dela Rosa, if she was brought to the detention facility of the Quezon City Police District, not in the detention cell for convicted criminals.

Read more: https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/23/unsual-request-from-vp-sara-triggers-detained-aide-s-transfer