‘Imbento lang pala,’ says Khonghun
VICE President Sara Duterte and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) drew sharp criticisms from House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun following a revelation from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) confirming the non-existence of “Mary Grace Piattos.”
Khonghun, one of the leaders of the House Young Guns, was reacting to the PSA’s response to a query by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Blue Ribbon Committee, saying they have no records of one “Mary Grace Piattos.” “Kaya pala walang nag-claim ng P1 million reward kasi peke talaga.”
“Nakakabahala na umabot tayo sa ganitong level ng kasinungalingan. Sa mga opisyal ng gobyerno na dapat nagbibigay ng tamang impormasyon, imbento lang pala ang Mary Grace Piattos,” Khonghun said.
The PSA’s response is “negative” to the any search for Mary Grace Piattos in its Civil Registry System (CRS) database on the Certificate of Live Birth (COLB), Certificate of Marriage (COM) and Certificate of Death (COD).
“However, if additional information such as the name of parents of the subject, date and place of the vital event can be provided, we can search further and be able to ascertain whether the civil registry document is available in the database,” the PSA further said.
This finding further raised concerns amid allegations of questionable disbursements and irregularities in the OVP’s and Department of Education’s confidential fund utilization during the time of VP Duterte as secretary.
“Hindi lang ito simple na isyu ng pangalan; pinagmumulan ito ng mas malalim na problema sa transparency at accountability. Kung kaya nilang mag-imbento ng ganito, ano pa kaya ang mga nakatagong transaksyon?” the Zambales lawmaker added.
Khonghun pointed out that such fabrications not only undermine public trust but also reflect poor governance.
“Sa bawat pisong ginagastos ng gobyerno, karapatan ng mamamayan na malaman kung saan ito napupunta. Pero paano kung ang kwento pa lang ay imbento na?” he asked.
He raised direct questions regarding Vice President Duterte’s leadership and the management of the OVP.
“Kung ganito ang klase ng pamamahala sa OVP, paano natin masisiguro na tama ang paggamit ng pondo ng bayan?” Khonghun asked.
The lawmaker underscored the responsibility of public officials to maintain integrity in their actions. “Ang dapat ay tapat. Walang lugar para sa mga kwentong imbento, lalo na sa isang tanggapang pinopondohan ng buwis ng taumbayan.”
Khonghun called for Congress to intensify its scrutiny of the OVP, reiterating the need for transparency.
“This is not just about one name. It’s about integrity in public service. Congress has a duty to protect the people’s money,” he said.
He also urged the government to institute safeguards against similar fabrications in the future.
“Dapat magkaroon ng mas mahigpit na proseso para hindi na maulit ang ganitong klaseng anomalya.”
He further noted that the PSA’s confirmation casts a shadow on the credibility of other records and transactions tied to the OVP.
“Paano aasahan ng taumbayan ang ating sistema kung ganitong klaseng kwento ang ginagamit? Panahon na para managot ang mga may sala,” he said.
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