HOUSE leaders on Tuesday warned of potential fraud and systemic misuse of public funds in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) certified that “Mary Grace Piattos,” a supposed recipient of OVP confidential funds, does not exist.
Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre (Tingog Party-list) and Committee on Women and Gender Equality Chair Geraldine Roman (Bataan, 1st District) said the fake identity may signal a larger scheme of falsified OVP financial records, which poses serious risks to public accountability.
The PSA certification confirmed that no birth, marriage, or death records exist for Piattos, a name appearing in acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA). These receipts were used to justify expenses from OVP confidential funds, totaling P500 million across four quarters from late 2022 to 2023.
“In effect, that certification means Mary Grace Piattos does not exist and has serious implications,” Roman said during a press briefing at the House of Representatives.
Roman explained that the use of a fictitious name in financial records submitted to a government auditing body suggests deliberate fraud.
“When you submit documents to the COA na merong taong nagngangalang Mary Grace Piattos, na magja-justify ng certain gastos pero mapatunayan mong wala, parang merong element of fraud doon,” she pointed out.
She further emphasized that the absence of Piattos as a real person invalidates all documents bearing her name.
“Kung walang Mary Grace Piattos, lahat ng dokumentong pinirmahan ni Mary Grace Piattos ay huwad at hindi makatotohanan,” she said.
With no birth, marriage, or death records of Piattos in the national civil registry, Acidre said her fabricated identity may only scratch the surface of deeper irregularities in the OVP’s financial records under Vice President Duterte.
“Hindi lamang si Mary Grace Piattos ang problema. Tip of the iceberg lang siya,” Acidre stressed.
Acidre described the PSA findings as a significant turning point in uncovering potential misuse of public funds.
“Maganda po na nanggaling na mismo sa PSA ang pagtitibay na wala pong taong nagngangalang Mary Grace Piattos,” he said.
He warned that the discovery of one falsified receipt raises questions about the authenticity of other financial records submitted by the OVP.
“Kung may nakita tayong mali sa isa, hindi malayong ganun din ‘yung iba. May Latin dictum ‘yun eh—falsus in unum, falsus in omnibus,” Acidre said.
“Kung sa pagkakataong ito gawa-gawa ang mga dokumento ni Mary Grace Piattos, gawa-gawa si Mary Grace Piattos, eh nanakawan po ang taong bayan,” he added.
Acidre also pointed to other findings by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, revealing systemic lapses in how the OVP handled its confidential funds.
He cited the testimony from OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta, who admitted to transferring custody of confidential funds to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, commander of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group, upon direct orders from Vice President Duterte.
Acidre argued that this transfer bypassed standard financial safeguards, undermining accountability and potentially constituting technical malversation.
He also flagged inconsistencies in the receipts themselves, such as mismatched signatures, identical handwriting, and uniform ink usage.
“Kita natin doon magkakaibang pangalan, parehong pangalan, magkakaibang pirma, minsan pare-pareho ng ballpen at nag-iisang tinta lang,” he pointed out.
Acidre clarified that while Congress cannot prosecute, the findings should be forwarded to the Department of Justice for further action.
“Ang trabaho natin ay maglahad ng recommendations at sana ho tignan ng ating piskalya o ng DOJ itong mga ebidensya for what it is,” she said.
Acidre emphasized that the patterns of irregularity in the OVP’s financial documents strengthen the case for technical malversation.
“Kung spurious ito on a large scale, baka umabot tayo sa technical malversation,” he said.
About the Author
