Lawyer Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff of Vice President Sara Duterte, visited the Senate on Thursday for what officials described as a purely administrative meeting ahead of her scheduled appearance before the impeachment court next week.
Asked by reporters about the purpose of her visit, Lopez gave a brief reply: “Prepare for Typhoon Inday.”
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who also serves as clerk of the impeachment court, said Lopez met with him to discuss logistical concerns related to the upcoming proceedings, including seating arrangements for the defense’s guests, equipment allowed in the holding area, and catering arrangements.
Bantug said the Senate has allotted 45 seats in the plenary for guests of the respondent. He also said the defense will be allowed to bring certain equipment, such as a refrigerator and coffee maker, as well as its preferred food catering service.
“So, yes, yun lang naman — purely housekeeping, administrative, nothing to do with my clerk of court duties,” Bantug told reporters. “It was me meeting them more as secretary of the Senate to the chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President rather than an impeachment court matter.”
“Nothing about the case was discussed,” he added.
The meeting took place a day after the impeachment court issued a subpoena ad testificandum requiring Lopez to appear and testify during the July 13 and 14 hearings of Vice President Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Lopez is expected to testify on Article 4 of the impeachment complaint, which involves the alleged grave threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez during a virtual press conference on Nov. 23, 2024.
Bantug said the subpoena had been signed by presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero on Wednesday night and was prepared for service on Thursday.
“It was signed by the presiding officer last night. I had it picked up this morning. So, the subpoena is ready to be served at any moment,” he said.
Lawyer Reginald Tongol, spokesperson of the impeachment court, later confirmed that the subpoena was received by the Office of the Vice President’s Central Records Unit at 1:10 pm Thursday.
Tongol said Lopez was ordered to appear at the Senate of the Philippines, located at the GSIS headquarters in Pasay City, on July 13 and 14 at 2 pm to provide material testimony related to the impeachment complaint transmitted by the House of Representatives.
He said copies of the subpoena were furnished to both the prosecution and defense panels.
“The issuance of this subpoena underscores the impeachment court’s commitment to a rigorous, orderly, and continuous trial process as it handles these historic proceedings,” Tongol said.
In a separate radio interview, Tongol said persons served with subpoenas are required to comply unless they have valid legal grounds to challenge the order.
“Yun ang tinatawag natin na compulsory process ng korte. Kapag pinapa-subpoena ka, wala kang karapatang tumanggi except for certain exceptions,” he said.
He said a subpoena may be questioned if it was intended to harass or vex a witness, was directed at the wrong person, or lacked sufficient definiteness.
Asked whether Lopez mentioned if Duterte would attend the trial, Bantug said the matter was not discussed. He said, however, that the Senate is prepared to provide security for the Vice President should she decide to appear at the proceedings.
Bantug also dismissed concerns over Lopez’s visit, saying no law was violated and that the meeting was not secretive.
“It was an open-door meeting, not a closed-door meeting,” he said, adding that he was accompanied by Senate staff, the sergeant-at-arms, and the head of the protocol office.
“Everything is on the level. Nothing secretive about it,” Bantug said.
Aside from Lopez, the impeachment court also issued subpoenas for National Bureau of Investigation regional director Jeremy Lontoc and Capt. Belinda Bello of the House legislative security bureau to appear at the July 13 and 14 hearings.