House leaders brushed aside former Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez’s remark urging the public to “prepare for Typhoon Inday” ahead of her expected testimony in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.
Lopez made the comment during an ambush interview at the Senate, where she is expected to appear as one of the House prosecution’s witnesses when the trial resumes next week.
Asked to react during a press briefing, Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V responded with a sarcastic quip, saying the other side should also prepare.
“Oo, maghanda rin sila kasi usually ‘pag bagyo wala sila. Kaya baka maghanda rin po sila. Nakahanda naman po kaming lahat,” Ortega said.
San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora, a House impeachment prosecutor and assistant majority leader, declined to read deeper meaning into Lopez’s statement and took the remark literally.
“Totoo naman pong may bagyong Inday, so maghanda po tayo para sa bagyo,” Zamora said.
The House prosecution is set to resume its presentation of evidence on Monday, beginning with the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation regional director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc.
Lopez is expected to take the witness stand later in the week on matters related to Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of making grave threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
As Duterte’s former chief of staff, Lopez is expected to testify on matters within her personal knowledge that the prosecution considers relevant to the grave threats charge.
Her “Typhoon Inday” remark also came amid speculation that Duterte may return to the Senate during next week’s proceedings.
The Vice President went to the Senate on the second day of the trial to meet with her defense lawyers but did not appear before the Senate impeachment court as the House prosecution continued presenting evidence.
Typhoon Inday, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility this week as a super typhoon, weakened into a typhoon on Thursday as it continued moving west-northwestward over the Philippine Sea, according to PAGASA.
Despite the downgrade, the state weather bureau warned that Inday and the enhanced southwest monsoon could still bring strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rainfall to parts of the country.