The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that 405 out of 677 listed beneficiaries of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) could not be verified in their civil registry records. The findings were revealed during a House of Representatives hearing on the issue of confidential funds on December 9.
Manila Representative Joel Chua, chair of the committee on good government, disclosed the information in a One News report, citing an omnibus certification from National Statistician Dennis Mapa. The PSA document indicated no matching records of birth, marriage, or death for many of the names on acknowledgment receipts related to the disbursement of funds.
Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande confirmed that 60% of the names produced negative results in their verification process. However, she clarified that the absence of records does not conclusively prove non-existence, as some individuals may lack registered documents.
Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc, including Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel, called the findings a clear indication of systematic fraud. They alleged that the fabricated names and receipts suggest large-scale corruption and plan to pursue impeachment cases against former DepEd Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte.
During the hearing, new questionable names surfaced, including “Milky Secuya,” “Alice Crescencio,” and “Shiela,” whose acknowledgment receipts raised suspicions of forgery and falsification. Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Alonto Adiong accused the OVP and DepEd of manufacturing nearly 5,000 bogus receipts to justify fund allocations, calling the scheme a deliberate misuse of public money.
Other lawmakers recommended filing charges of plunder, technical malversation, and falsification of public documents against Duterte and her staff. The committee noted that P125 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP for December 2022 were backed by questionable documentation.
