More unusual names have appeared in the list of supposed recipients of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds, including ones that resemble popular snack brands and a cellphone model, according to House Deputy Majority Leader La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V.
Ortega revealed that aside from the now-viral “Mary Grace Piattos,” two more names surfaced—Pia Piatos-Lim and Renan Piatos. Another was identified as Xiaome Ocho, which resembles the Xiaomi Mi 8 phone model from 2018.
“These names don’t appear in the birth, marriage, or death records of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” Ortega said in an Inquirer.net report.
“We thought only one name was odd on the list of confidential fund recipients. But it seems that there’s already a whole family of ‘Piattos’ and even a cellphone model that has joined,” he added in Filipino. “You’ll be torn between laughing and getting furious when you see ‘Xiaome Ocho’ on the list.”
Ortega said these findings strengthen the call for Vice President Sara Duterte to explain how the confidential funds were disbursed.
“She needs to explain who exactly makes up this ‘Budol Gang’ when she presents her defense at the impeachment trial,” he said.
In December, a House committee flagged at least 1,992 individuals linked to the alleged misuse of the OVP’s confidential funds. Of these, over 1,300 reportedly have no corresponding birth records with the PSA.
Ortega said lawmakers will continue reviewing the documents to uncover more suspicious names. “The public deserves the truth,” he added.
