The House of Representatives’ prosecution team announced Tuesday it will no longer present Office of the Vice President chief-of-staff and Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, calling her testimony “redundant” and “a surplus.”
Private counsel Lorna Kapunan told the tribunal that Lopez’s and Capt. Belinda Bello’s accounts on Duterte’s alleged grave threats would only duplicate evidence already given by National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung and Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc.
Bello, an officer of the House Legislative Security Bureau, was involved in security arrangements when Duterte visited the chamber in November 2024 , the same day she allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“In the last four trial days, we’ve had several hours of legal calisthenics… After hearing the two competent and credible witnesses, it is the wisdom of the public prosecutors that we find it totally unnecessary, redundant, and a surplusage to still present Atty. Zuleika Lopez as well as Capt. Belinda Bello,” Kapunan said.
Lopez had initially been slated as a hostile witness for Article IV of the impeachment charges, which accuse Duterte of betraying public trust through grave threats against top officials. # (ZIA LUNA)
