The Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief-of-Staff Zuleika Lopez skipped the House Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe on Monday, November 25, due to Acute Stress Disorder.
In a letter submitted on Sunday, Lopez asked the House Committee that they excuse her absence for the Monday hearing, as she was diagnosed with Acute Stress Disorder, following the recent series of events. The OVP official cited how the events leading up to her transfer to the Women’s Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong City, affected her current condition.
With that, the OVP official asked that she be excused for Monday’s hearing, and attached a certificate of confinement signed by her doctors.
The medical certificate explained that Lopez is currently being managed for Acute Stress Disorder after presenting difficulty in sleeping, anxiety, and intrusive symptoms in the form of; nightmares, flashbacks, and avoidance. This was along with the diagnosis of physical ailments.
Basahin> excuse letter ni Atty Zuleika Lopez kaya di nakadalo sa hearing ng House Comm on Good Govt & Public Accountability kasama ang medical cert mula sa mga doctor ng VMMC @dzrhnews pic.twitter.com/qVYKUB0Gr3
— milky rigonan 💋 (@milkyrigonan) November 25, 2024
However, House Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd District Rep. David Suarez and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez called out the OVP official’s absence.
“The reason why I read this Mr. Chair is, totoo na meron siyang certificate of confinement. Kaso hindi naman sinasabi dito ng kanyang mga doctor, na hindi siya physically incapable of attending today’s hearing,” Suarez said.
“I just find it a little bit odd, na hindi binanggit dito na dahil sa kanyang condition, hindi siya makakarating. For the record Mr Chair, I would like to point that out. That is not included in her certificate of confinement,” he added.
Moreover, Fernandez pointed out how that is an evasion of the resource person, as he feels that Lopez is using her medical certification as a way to be excused from the hearing.
“I think, nagkakaroon nanaman tayo ng evasion with our resource person. And we don’t want to set a precedent, na lagi na lang ganito. Na they are using the medical certification not to be present on our Committee hearings,” Fernandez stressed.
Over the weekend, Lopez was rushed to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, after falling ill.
