Maslog pleads guilty to falsification, use of alias

MANILA, Philippines — Businesswoman Mary Ann Maslog, who was previously convicted over the 1998 textbook scam, has pleaded guilty to separate charges of falsification of public document and illegal use of aliases.

Maslog, who gained notoriety after faking her death to avoid conviction, revised her plea to guilty during the Oct. 16 hearing at the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 31.

“The court notes the manifestation of (her lawyer) that he has explained to the accused and that the accused understood the consequences of her separate plea of guilt,” read a copy of the three-page order obtained by The STAR.

Maslog was convicted of falsification of public documents and for violating Republic Act 6085, which regulates the use of aliases.

She was sentenced to up to one year in prison for the falsification charge and another one year for the illegal use of alias.

Maslog was also ordered to pay a fine of P5,000.

She was convicted of graft in connection with the P24-million textbook scam in 1998.

The Sandiganbayan Second Division sentenced her to up to 10 years in prison. But the graft case filed against her was initially dismissed following her reported death in 2019.

Maslog was arrested in 2024 by the National Bureau of Investigation over a separate fraud complaint. She was using a different alias at the time of her arrest.