THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has announced that additional charges will be filed against Vice President Sara Duterte following the recent incident involving lawyer Zuleika Lopez.
This follows the initial complaints of direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion filed against Duterte, Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) head Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica, and unidentified individuals.
PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo stated that the initial complaints stemmed from the disruption caused when Lopez fell ill while detained at the House of Representatives.
“We expect that we have other cases to file besides grave coercion, direct assault, and disobedience to persons in authority,” Fajardo said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
Fajardo declined to specify the nature of the upcoming charges against the Vice President.
GMA News Online has reached out to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for comment and will update this story once a response is received.
The PNP previously argued that Duterte’s staff interfered with the House of Representatives’ detention order and disrupted operations at both the detention center and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).
The PNP alleges that VPSPG personnel facilitated the “forced transfer” of Lopez from VMMC to St. Luke’s Medical Center using a private ambulance.
In response, Duterte stated that she would also file charges against the PNP for alleged disobedience, robbery, and kidnapping.