No PSA record of ‘Mary Grace Piattos’

MANILA, Philippines — There are no “records of birth certificate, marriage and death” under the name of Mary Grace Piattos, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported yesterday to the House committee on good government and public accountability currently investigating the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

In a two-page document dated Nov. 25 and submitted to committee chairman and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, national statistician and civil registrar general Dennis Mapa said that verification made from the PSA’s civil registry system database showed that Mary Grace Piattos has “negative records of birth certificate, marriage and death.”

The document was made available to the media only yesterday by the Chua’s committee.

“However, if additional information such as the name of parents of the subject, date and place of vital event can be provided, we can search further and be able to ascertain whether the civil registry document is available in the database,” Mapa said.

Piattos was one of the recipients of the OVP’s P500-million confidential funds, including the P112.5-million confidential funds in the Department of Education (DepED) while the Vice President was still its secretary.

During the committee hearing early this month, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop asked the Commission on Audit (COA) about a restaurant named “Mary Grace” and a potato chip called “Piattos,” since acknowledgment receipts (AR) bore the same name, with Piattos as the surname.

There were ARs bearing not just “similar handwritings, same color of ballpens in a common pattern,” but also having the same set of signatories like a certain “AAS” and “JOV,” who received a total of P280,000 and P920,000 for “purchase of information,” respectively, allegedly in December 2022.

There were a total of 776 ARs, 302 of which bore “unreadable names,” with five “repeated names.” For breakdown, AAS received a total windfall of P280,000 – P60,000 in December 2022, P150,000 in February 2023 and P70,000 in the third quarter of that year.

JOV, however, received a larger amount (P920,000) as his/her first AR for “reward payment” indicated was P170,000, followed by P250,000 for vague “supplies” and the last was P500,000 for “medical and food aid.”

Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun and Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V earlier offered a P1-million bounty for anyone who can provide information on Mary Grace Piattos.

NBI summons Sara anew

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued a new subpoena to Vice President Sara Duterte, as well as former Malacañang press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles on Tuesday.

The subpoena was in connection with a press conference held last Nov. 23 where Duterte allegedly issued threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Members of the NBI Cybercrime Division served the subpoena to Angeles in her residence due to her attendance in the press conference.

Also summoned was Duterte’s staff member who moderated the press event, as well as a correspondent from a foreign media outlet who covered the press conference.

Subpoenas were also served to members of the local media and a vlogger who were present, with the NBI clarifying that they were being called as witnesses to provide details of the event.

Meanwhile, NBI Director Jaime Santiago emphasized that their investigation is limited to potential criminal aspects of the case and does not cover the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte.

‘Stop diversionary tactics’

A House lawmaker yesterday called on Vice President Duterte to stop making diversionary tactics on her alleged misuse of intelligence funds by facing the issue squarely and explaining where the public funds went.

“We call on the VP to stop gaslighting the Filipino people. She should stop misdirecting public discourse and undermining the principles of accountability and transparency that sustain our democratic institutions,” House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre suggested.

“Instead of diverting attention with sensational rhetoric and theatrics, she must address the real concerns surrounding the lawful and responsible utilization of public funds. Failing to do so risks eroding the public trust that is essential to good governance,” he said.

“We urge VP Duterte to refocus her efforts on fulfilling the mandate of her office and honoring her constitutional oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. Public service demands accountability, integrity and transparency – not deflection or attempts to mislead the people.” — Mark Ernest Villeza, Delon Porcalla