Vice President Sara Duterte stated on Wednesday, November 20, that she could not confirm the existence of “Mary Grace Piattos,” a name linked to questioned acknowledgment receipts for her office’s confidential funds in 2022.
Speaking at a press conference, Duterte said, “I have no comment on that because I’ve not seen the acknowledgment receipt that they’re referring to,” addressing the issue in a mix of English and Filipino.
Duterte clarified that the liquidation documents submitted to the House good government panel were not routed through her. Instead, they were handled by Gina Acosta, the Special Disbursement Officer, and the Inspection and Control of Fund Audit Unit of the Commission on Audit (COA). She also noted her lack of involvement in how the documents were processed or submitted to the House of Representatives.
The investigation centers on over 1,200 acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to justify a P125-million confidential fund. Lawmakers raised concerns over receipts bearing illegible names and similar handwriting, with “Mary Grace Piattos” being one of the names flagged.
The House good government panel has offered a P1 million reward for information about Piattos’ true identity. Panel chair Rep. Joel Chua announced plans to work with the Philippine Statistics Authority and handwriting experts to analyze the documents.
Current and former OVP staff testified that only Duterte, Acosta, and OVP chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez had direct knowledge of the confidential fund’s disbursement. Lopez, however, told the committee she was unaware of how the funds were liquidated.
