BATASAN PAMBANSA, Quezon City — Vice President ‘Inday’ Sara Duterte-Carpio’s chief-of-staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, was cited in contempt and ordered detained by the House Quad Committee led by Surigao del Norte District II representative Robert Ace Barbers as the panel’s lead chair.

In the yesterday’s panel hearing, Atty. Lopez was cited in contempt for ‘undue interference’ over a letter requesting the Commission on Audit (CoA) not to comply with the subpoena issued by the House Quad Committee composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights and public accounts.

Confronted with the letter, Lopez explained to public order and safety chair Danilo Ramon ‘Dan’ Fernandez that it was simply a ‘respectful request’ to state auditors and that she had “no intention to demand or order them to do something they didn't want to do.”

In spite of Lopez’s apology, though, and plea for the contempt citation to be reconsidered, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list representative Francisca Lustina ‘France’ Castro did not withdraw her motion, after which the panel carried on to order Lopez’s detention in the premises of the House of Representatives until Monday, November 25, or until the next committee hearing.