Zuleika T. Lopez, the former Davao City administrator. (City Information Office)
Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, visited the Senate upon being subpoenaed on July 9. When door-stopped by journalists, Lopez enigmatically remarked, “prepare for Typhoon Inday,” a statement that immediately raised suspicions among policymakers and analysts.
The phrase carried a wild card as the term “Inday” is widely known to be the personal nickname of Vice President Sara Duterte (Inday Sara). The Chief of Staff for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was interpreted to be deliberately playing a language game, referencing Typhoon Inday (internationally known as Bavi), a tropical cyclone, to symbolise the “political bloodbath” remark by Sara Duterte.
On the same day, the Malacañang Palace clarified that Duterte’s remark was no joke. “This is not hypothetical. It was heard, it was neither fabricated nor a fantasy,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated.
She also questioned the motives of Duterte’s defence counsel, who invoked the mysterious ‘Operation Romanov’, an alleged plot to assassinate her. Claire responded, “Two-part question, Ma’am. What does the Palace know about Operation Romanov and what was done about it if any? And the second question is, how do you react to it being used as justification for the Vice President’s utterances?”
The fourth day of the trial introduced a new series of discussions and developments, including the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum (an official call to testify) directing Zuleika Lopez to testify formally in the trial from July 13 to 14. She is expected to explain the alleged threats and answer questions regarding irregular fund usage at the OVP.
This continuation of the trial sparks a new saga for the unprecedented political feud between the Philippine President and Vice President. The proceedings not only test institutional resilience but also bring significant implications for the political balance.
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