The Daily Tribune
House panel asks PSA to verify 677 other 'recipients' of Duterte's secret funds
A House of Representatives panel has asked the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to verify the civil registry records of 677 individuals listed as recipients of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The request was made in a letter dated December 5 by House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Joel Chua to PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa.
The committee is investigating irregularities involving PHP500 million in confidential funds disbursed by the OVP from late 2022 to 2023.
This verification effort follows the discovery that 'Mary Grace Piattos,' who reportedly received the largest chunk of the funds, is a fictitious identity with no records in the PSA's database.
Further investigation revealed that another named recipient, 'Kokoy Villamin,' also had no records in the PSA's database, and their handwriting and signatures varied across multiple acknowledgment receipts from both the OVP and DepEd.
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Over 1,900 names linked to the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) confidential fund expenditure have been submitted to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for verification.
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The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) confirmed to a House committee that it has no record of "Mary Grace Piattos" in its databases.
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The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) confirmed there is no birth record for 'Mary Grace Piattos,' who was listed as a recipient of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
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Approximately 405 out of 677 individuals who received confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education lack a birth record from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), according to House committee chairperson Rep. Joel Chua.
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Vice President Sara Duterte has refused to disclose the identities of recipients of the Office of the Vice President's confidential funds, citing laws that prohibit the divulgence of intelligence operations.
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