VP’s aide visits Senate: Prepare for Typhoon Inday

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez dropped by the Senate yesterday to attend to “administrative” matters for the resumption of the impeachment trial next week.

Lopez, who was summoned to testify on July 13 and 14, refused to entertain questions from the media.

But in a chance interview, she said, “Good morning everyone. Prepare for Typhoon Inday.”

Lopez, wearing dark glasses, did not specify whether she was referring to the super typhoon, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, or Duterte, popularly known as “Inday.”

Lopez was summoned by the Senate impeachment court to attend the next trial dates as prosecution witness in the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President for alleged grave threats on President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

In the subpoena issued yesterday by impeachment court presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero, Lopez was directed to attend the trial “to testify your knowledge in the case.”

“Fail not,” Escudero said.

House prosecutor Paolo Ortega countered Lopez’s warning.

“They should also prepare because usually when there’s a storm, they’re not there. The prosecutors are ready. We’ve long been prepared,” Ortega said.

Lopez will be asked to testify on a video that shows her crying over her detention for contempt in a Nov. 23, 2024 Zoom press briefing from the House of Representatives,

The video was presented as evidence before the impeachment court on Wednesday.

It was in the same online briefing where Duterte issued the alleged threats, and that she had contracted an assassin to execute the order if she herself gets killed. –  Bella Cariaso, Mark Ernest Villeza and Ghio Ong