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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate Impeachment Court subpoenas Duterte's chief of staff

Senate Impeachment Court subpoenas Duterte's chief of staff

Published Jul 8, 2026 07:21 pm

The Senate Impeachment Court has granted the House prosecution panel’s request to summon Zuleika Lopez, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Vice President, to appear at next week’s scheduled trial.

Zuleika Lopez (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)
Zuleika Lopez (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB)

Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum against Lopez before closing the impeachment proceedings on Wednesday, July 8.

Earlier, the prosecution team requested that Lopez be compelled to attend the proceedings.

Lopez was the reason for Vice President Sara Duterte's visit to the House of Representatives on November 23, 2024, during which Duterte held a virtual media conference and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Lopez was once detained at the House of Representatives after being cited in contempt during an investigation into Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds for the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Aside from Lopez, two other individuals would be asked to testify on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which details the charges of grave threats Duterte made against ranking government officials.

The other two persons that the prosecution has lined up as their witnesses are lawyer Jeremy Lotoc of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and Capt. Belinda Bello of the House of Representatives’ Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms.

When Escudero asked if NBI Director Melvin Matibag would be presented as a witness next week, Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor responded that they might present Matibag, depending on how the trial proceeds and if there is still extra time for his testimony.

“Not yet, Your Honor; we will manifest on Monday if we can consider him for the Wednesday session, depending on how the trial goes and how long the testimony takes for both parties,” Defensor said.

The prosecution panel said they expect Lopez to comply with the Impeachment Court's order and appear at the resumption of the hearing next week.

Other than Lopez’s appearance next week, Escudero also ordered the submission of a memorandum on Monday regarding the prosecution panel’s request for an issuance of subpoena duces tecum on the tax documents of Duterte’s husband, Manases “Mans” Carpio. The Court also scheduled the oral arguments on Wednesday, next week.

Moreover, the Court also scheduled the oral arguments on the prosecution panel’s request for the issuance of subpoena duces tecum for Duterte’s bank records, as addressed to Eli Remolona, Jr. chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Monday next week.

Related Tags

Zuleika Lopez House of Representatives Senate Impeachment Court Duterte impeachment case 2026 impeachment case Philippines
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