House prosecution: Everybody wants to know who is Mary Grace Piattos

Everybody wants to know who Mary Grace Piattos really is, the House prosecution panel said Friday following the conclusion of the pre-trial conference on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House prosecution impeachment trial spokesperson Zia Adiong of Lanao del Sur issued the statement at a press conference, after it was revealed that the prosecutors listed a certain Mary Grace Piattos as one of its witnesses for Duterte's impeachment trial.

"All of us deserve to know who is Mary Grace Piattos because confidential funds are funded by taxpayers' money. So let's see if someone who will really show up before the Senate impeachment court and identify himself or herself as Mary Grace Piattos. Excited tayong lahat, para once and for all, ma-establish ang identity nito (We are all excited to establish, once and for all, her identity)," Adiong said.

Mary Grace Piattos was identified as a witness for Article 1 of the impeachment case alleging culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust on the part of the Vice President due to the misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte's tenure as Education secretary.

The name first gained infamy during a 2024 House good government and public accountability inquiry on the budget use of the Vice President wherein the Commission on Audit submitted acknowledgment receipts showing that a certain Mary Grace Piattos, as well as Kokoy Villamin and Milky Secuya, among other names, received confidential fund allocation from the Vice President.

Piattos is a popular potato chip brand, while Mary Grace is a chain of coffee shops known for its pastries.

"Our allegation is that confidential funds were received by fictitious persons, and this was confirmed by the Philippine Statistic Authority, who said Mary Grace Piattos has no existing birth, marriage or death records. But the acknowledgement receipts indicate such name and signature [of Mary Grace Piattos]. Now, we are going to find out who is the person behind Mary Grace Piattos and if that person actually signed those acknowledgement receipts," Adiong added.

Benjamin Tolosa Jr., a legal spokesperson of the House prosecution team, agreed that the impeachment trial will finally reveal who really Mary Grace Piattos is.

"This is the opportunity for her, if she actually exists to come forward and say, here I am presenting myself before the impeachment court, ready to testify," Tolosa said.

"So if she does not appear [before the Senate impeachment court], this just supports our position that she's a made-up person," Tolosa added.

Defense lawyer Michael Poa on Thursday welcomed the inclusion of Piattos in the list of prosecution witnesses, saying it was the prosecutors' "prerogative." He added that the defense team is ready to cross-examine her statements.

The Senate impeachment court is expected to start the impeachment trial of the Vice President on July 6.

Tolosa said the House prosecution panel stands ready to present its witness on July 6 or Day 1 of the trial.

"The first day of the hearing for the presentation of our first witness has been scheduled on July 6. The presentation of evidence will be done Monday to Wednesday in the weeks before the SONA," Tolosa said.

SONA is the State of the Nation Address of the President of the Philippines, which is scheduled every fourth Monday of July.

"After the SONA, it would be Tuesday to Thursday. During the pre-trial conference, the prosecution asked for 62 days to present our evidence, while the defense asked for 30 days. That would mean three months of trial, could be more, but it will still depend on several circumstances," Tolosa said.

"If we can present one witness per day, then that will speed it up," Tolosa added. — VDV, GMA News