MANILA – The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has reached out to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to confirm the civil registry details of 677 people allegedly connected to the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Vice President Duterte’s tenure.
On December 5, Committee Chair Joel Chua sent a formal request to PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa, asking for the validation of birth, marriage, and death records of those named in the acknowledgment receipts provided by the OVP. This letter was made public on Friday.
Chua’s letter specifically requested, ‘We seek verification of the Civil Registry Documents (birth, marriage, and death) for the individuals listed, in relation to our ongoing investigation.’
This move follows the discovery that one supposed recipient, ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ was a made-up name, cleverly combining a well-known restaurant and a popular snack brand.
The committee is delving into claims of mismanagement concerning PHP500 million in confidential funds distributed by the OVP over four quarters from late 2022 to 2023.
The PSA has confirmed that no records exist for ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ a name used in OVP documents to account for expenditures from its confidential funds.
Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega expressed concerns that using a fake identity in official documents might indicate widespread fraud. He stated, ‘The use of a fictitious identity like Mary Grace Piattos is alarming. The PSA should urgently audit and verify all names listed in the OVP’s acknowledgment receipts submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA).’
Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre invoked the legal principle of ‘falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus’ (false in one, false in all) to cast doubt on the accuracy of other entries in the OVP’s financial reports.