Please verify Oishi, Tempura, Nova and Chippy, too.
This was the request of House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) after it confirmed that “Mary Grace Piattos,” an alleged fund recipient cited in the liquidation documents of the Office of the Vice President, does not exist.
Ortega said all names listed in the acknowledgment receipts submitted by Vice President Sara Duterte’s office must be verified.
“The revelation that Mary Grace Piattos is a fictitious identity raises serious red flags. The PSA must immediately audit and verify all the names appearing in the ARs submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit,” Ortega said.
The PSA certification confirmed that no birth, marriage, or death records exist for Piattos.
Piattos appeared in the ARs submitted to COA to justify expenses from the OVP’s P500-million confidential funds, disbursed across four quarters from late 2022 to 2023.
Other listed recipients whose names mimicked popular snack brands were “Fernando Tempura,” “Carlos Miguel Oishi,” “Reymunda Jane Nova” and “Chippy McDonald.”
Ortega warned the use of a fabricated identity in official documents could point to systemic fraud.
“This isn’t just an isolated case. If a fabricated name was used to justify millions of pesos in spending, it undermines the integrity of public accountability. It also raises the question: how many more fake names might be buried in those ARs?” he said.
He urged the PSA to cross-check all other names in the submitted receipts to uncover the potential breadth of the irregularities.
“We cannot stop at just one name. The PSA’s findings should serve as a springboard to conduct a deeper investigation. The Filipino people deserve transparency and accountability, especially in the use of public funds,” Ortega said.
Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre and Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman earlier warned of a possible scheme to falsify financial records within the OVP.
Both lawmakers said the discovery of Piattos as a fabricated entity might be just the “tip of the iceberg.”
“If one name was falsified, it is not unreasonable to suspect that other receipts may also contain fictitious names,” Ortega said.
Ortega also backed Acidre’s assertion that the principle of “falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus” (false in one, false in all) applies to the OVP’s financial records.
