The House committee on good government and public accountability has announced a P1 million reward for any information on the whereabouts of “Mary Grace Piattos,” whose name frequently appears on acknowledgment receipts related to the confidential funds of offices under Vice President Sara Duterte.
Zambales Representative Jefferson ‘Jay’ Khonghun, vice chairman of the panel, made the declaration after Duterte dismissed the investigation into the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd)’s budget use as politically charged rather than a legitimate legislative inquiry.
Khonghun stressed the importance of identifying and speaking to individuals listed as recipients of these funds. “It’s crucial to know the truth. It’s very important to speak to the people who actually signed the acknowledgment receipts, and one of them is Mary Grace Piattos. That’s why we, as panel members, decided to put up a P1 million reward for anyone who knows where she is,” Khonghun said during a press briefing.
The inquiry revealed that the OVP and DepEd had submitted documents with inconsistencies, such as incorrect dates and signatures without clear names. COA auditor Gloria Camora highlighted the issue, noting that numerous receipts were dated December 2023, though the exact number remains unspecified. Additionally, there were undated receipts among the submissions.
COA’s report also pointed out that in 2023, the OVP and DepEd submitted 787 acknowledgment receipts with unnamed signatories and 302 with unreadable names. Responding to questions about the legitimacy of the signatory “Mary Grace Piattos,” Camora said, “It could be a person,” but noted that the name appeared to be misspelled as “Mary Grace Piyaty,” raising further questions.
Khonghun emphasized that these receipts could not be dismissed as fake since they were officially submitted to the COA. “These acknowledgment receipts were submitted by the OVP to the COA, so how can they be fake?” he stated, adding, “If Mary Grace Piattos does not exist, then it confirms that the signatories are fictitious. We need to find out who and where she truly is.”
