House prosecutors drop Zuleika Lopez, Bello as impeachment witnesses

The House prosecution panel on Tuesday said it would no longer present Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief-of-staff and Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying her testimony would be unnecessary following the testimonies of two National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials.

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan told the impeachment court that the prosecution had also decided not to present House Legislative Security Bureau official Capt. Belinda Bello, as both witnesses would only repeat matters already covered by NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung and NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc.

“In the last four trial days, we’ve had several hours of legal calisthenics […] a total of approximately eight hours a day and two witnesses. Today we are supposed to hear a subpoenaed witness and another witness subpoenaed or called to appear here, Capt. Belinda Bello,” Kapunan said.

“After hearing the two competent and credible witnesses — not expert witness, but through their credentials showed that that they were competent to testify on the matters that they were asked to authenticate […] it is the wisdom of the public prosecutors as expressed through this representation that we find it totally unnecessary, redundant, and a surplusage to still present Atty. Zuleika Lopez and as well as Capt. Belinda Bello,” she added.

The prosecution originally intended to call Lopez as a hostile witness because of her involvement in matters related to Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of betrayal of public trust over her alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Lopez figured in the events leading up to Duterte's controversial November 2024 online press conference after she was cited in contempt by the House committee on good government and public accountability and ordered detained over allegations of interfering in its investigation into the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

It was during a media briefing held while Lopez was being detained and transferred that Duterte, in response to a question about her security, said she had contracted someone to kill Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez if she herself were killed.