HOUSE leaders on Thursday brushed aside a remark by former Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez urging the public to “prepare for Typhoon Inday” ahead of her scheduled testimony in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.
Lopez made the comment during an ambush interview at the Senate, where she is expected to appear as one of the House prosecution’s witnesses when the impeachment trial resumes next week.
Asked for a reaction during a press briefing, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union responded with a sarcastic quip, suggesting that it was the other side that should be prepared.
“Oo, maghanda rin sila kasi usually ‘pag bagyo wala sila. Kaya baka maghanda rin po sila. Nakahanda naman po kaming lahat,” Ortega said.
Meanwhile, impeachment prosecutor San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora declined to read anything more into Lopez’s remark and instead took it literally.
“Totoo naman pong may bagyong Inday, so maghanda po tayo para sa bagyo,” Zamora, a House assistant majority leader, said.
The House prosecution is scheduled to resume presenting evidence on Monday with the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regional director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc.
Lopez is expected to take the witness stand later in the week on matters related to the fourth Article of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of making grave threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Lopez, Duterte’s former chief of staff, is expected to testify on matters within her personal knowledge relevant to the prosecution’s presentation of evidence on the charge.
Her “Typhoon Inday” remark also came amid speculation that Duterte may return to the Senate during next week’s proceedings.
The vice president went to the Senate on the second day of the trial to meet with her defense lawyers but did not appear before the Senate impeachment court while the House prosecution continued presenting its evidence.
Typhoon Inday, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility this week as a super typhoon, weakened into a typhoon on Thursday as it continued moving west-northwestward over the Philippine Sea, according to PAGASA.
Despite the downgrade, the state weather bureau warned that the cyclone and the enhanced southwest monsoon could still bring strong winds, rough seas and heavy rainfall to parts of the country.
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