Prosecution: PSA witness to prove VP Sara's confi fund recipients were 'fictitious individuals'

The House prosecution team will present officials of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to prove allegations that the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte disbursed confidential funds to "fictitious individuals," prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list said.

“The PSA [officials] are included in the witnesses for the allegation on misused confidential funds because they are the ones who conducted the study, and this was also revealed during the House inquiry… the study, which showed that the names [on the acknowledgment receipts] stating Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, among others, ay hindi ipinanganak, hindi kinasal, at hindi namatay sa Pilipinas kasi wala sila sa PSA records,” Ridon said in an online press conference.

(These people were not born, did not marry, and did not die in the Philippines, because they have no PSA records.)

Read: Who else signed OVP receipts for P125M confidential funds besides Mary Grace Piattos?

“We will be able to show that these are fake, fictitious individuals. Ibig sabihin, talaga po na may nangyaring kababalaghan at maling paggamit dito po sa pondo ng bayan,” Ridon added.

(This means that irregularities and the misuse of public funds indeed took place.)

Among the unusual names that were identified as confidential fund recipients include:

• ₱500,000 — Feonna Villegas
• ₱500,000 — Clarisse Hontiveros
• ₱350,000 — Honeylet Camille Sy
• ₱250,000 — Heart Santiago
• ₱200,000 — Jay Kamote
• ₱180,000 — Salah Casim
• ₱150,000 — Ralph Josh Bacon
• ₱150,000 — Jose Diokno Jr.
• ₱140,000 — Pia Patios-Lim
• ₱130,000 — Beverly Claire Pampano
• ₱120,000 — Denise Tanya Escudero
• ₱100,000 — Xiaomi Ocho
• ₱50,000 — Miggy Mango
• ₱50,000 — Matthew N. Keso
• ₱50,000 — Kristine Applegate
• ₱50,000 — Anne Ongpauco
• ₱50,000 — Beth Revilla

The prosecution earlier presented the Notice of Disallowance (ND) issued by the Commission on Audit (COA), which flagged the OVP’s disbursement of the confidential fund as evidence.

An ND is issued when an expenditure is “either irregular, unnecessary, excessive, extravagant, or unconscionable" and orders the concerned agency to return such amount to government coffers.

The COA has already issued a final ND on OVP’s P73 million disbursement of confidential fund for 2022.

In addition, the COA issued an ND on OVP’s P375 million disbursement of confidential funds for 2023, although this ND is still under appeal before the COA proper.

Both NDs are appealable to the Supreme Court, but prosecution witness and lawyer Roderick Wamil of COA earlier told the impeachment court that COA’s ND is enforceable unless the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order against its implementation.

Ready to explain

In February, Duterte's camp said they are ready to explain the use of aliases for confidential funds, such as the infamous “Mary Grace Piattos.”

“Specifically the ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ we are ready to respond to that and explain bakit may mga ganyan,” said Michael Poa, spokesperson of Duterte’s defense team.

(Specifically regarding ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ we are ready to respond to that and explain why things like that exist.)

“She will address those issues in the appropriate time at kung ang circumstances bakit may ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and things like that, and that has been something we have been preparing for last year pa,” he added.

(She will address those issues at the appropriate time, including the circumstances of why there is a ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and things like that, and that has been something we have been preparing for since last year.) —VAL, GMA News