Zuleika T. Lopez

Zuleika Tanglao Lopez (born June 12, 1974),[3][4] also known by the initials ZTL,[5] is a Filipino lawyer and government official currently serving as the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines (OVP) under Sara Duterte.

[16] In a September 2024 hearing by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability as chaired by Rep. Joel Chua, former undersecretary Gloria J. Mercado of the Department of Education (DepEd) alleged that Lopez was responsible in instructing her to resign in late October 2023 based on Secretary Duterte's request for Mercado's immediate resignation, despite Lopez having no assigned position at DepEd herself.

[20] However, by the evening of November 4, Lopez was able to leave the Philippines by boarding a plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) headed to Los Angeles, California to visit her ailing aunt.

[21] On the following day, she along with six other OVP staff released a position paper that asks the committee to terminate its inquiry into their office's fund use, claiming that its hearings are "not in aid of legislation" and "violative of the rights of resource persons.

[27][28] In December 2024, Lopez went on indefinite leave as OVP Chief of Staff, having previously expressed to Duterte during detainment her intention to resign.

[30][31] In April 2017, Lopez underwent surgery to remove gallstones found in her gallbladder, which she attributed to processed foods she had been eating while maintaining her tight work schedule.