House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of the 1st District of La Union on Thursday chided Vice President Sara Duterte for dismissing allegations regarding fictitious names in the disbursement of her office’s confidential funds, saying her nonchalant response reflects alleged clear disregard for accountability.
“She shows she does not care about this issue. Instead of addressing the mounting evidence against her, she continues to shrug it off as if it were a joke,” Ortega said.
“She should be preparing for her impeachment trial, not making light of allegations involving potentially hundreds of millions in public funds,” he added.
The lawmaker criticized Duterte’s latest remarks brushing off the existence of questionable fund recipients, including five individuals all named “Dodong,” as well as “Jay Kamote” and “Miggy Mango.”
He said these new names add to the already suspicious list of “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Pia Piatos-Lim,” “Renan Piatos” and “Xiaome Ocho,” all of which resemble snack brands and phone companies.
“If there really is no anomaly, why are there so many ridiculous names on the list of OVP’s confidential fund recipients? They should be ensuring the fund’s liquidation is smooth, but it appears as if the issue is being trivialized.”
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has confirmed that many of the alleged recipients of confidential funds listed under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) have no birth, marriage or death records.
“Her dismissal of the issue only raises more suspicions.”
The PSA’s certification, submitted to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, showed that out of 1,992 listed fund recipients, 1,322 had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records and 1,593 had no death records. These figures have fueled calls for greater scrutiny over Duterte’s handling of confidential funds.
Ortega said Duterte’s continued refusal to take these allegations seriously only damages her credibility further. He warned that Duterte’s impeachment trial would not be a mere political exercise but a test of public accountability.