ANOTHER SUSPICIOUS MONIKER
WHILE Mary Grace Piattos is being located, another suspicious name surfaces at the continuation of the investigation on the misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte.
This time, the name “Kokoy Villamin” has come under scrutiny by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, as it appears in multiple acknowledge receipts (AR) with varying handwriting and signatures—clear red flags suggesting potential falsification in the liquidation documents submitted to the Commission on Audit.
This thickens the plot in the ongoing investigation into ARs submitted to justify P612.5 million in confidential funds (CF’s) managed by the OVP and the DepEd under Duterte in 2022 and 2023.
ARs are essential for financial accountability, serving as proof that funds were disbursed to intended recipients. The irregularities in these ARs, however, raise significant doubts about whether the funds were actually received or used as intended.
The controversy follows the earlier discovery of “Mary Grace Piattos,” a name resembling a mashup of a restaurant and a potato chip brand, which sparked public outrage over its apparent fabrication.
Despite a P1 million reward for anyone who could verify the existence of this person, no one has come forward, reinforcing suspicions that she is entirely fictitious.
Now, “Kokoy Villamin” has entered the spotlight, prompting the committee, chaired by Manila Rep. Joel Chua, to intensify its investigation.
The panel has vowed to uncover the truth behind these dubious records and hold those responsible accountable for any misuse of public funds.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong zeroed in on the repeated appearance of the name “Kokoy Villamin” in ARs from both the OVP and DepEd.
“Ibig sabihin, the point I’m trying to drive at, Mr. Chair, is that based on the documents and the [ARs], we do not have any other ways to really affirm whether these persons and individuals who have received the confidential funds were truly alive and truly person,” Adiong said.
Adiong presented a receipt dated Sept. 17, 2023, where “Kokoy Villamin” appeared as the recipient of funds from the OVP. A second receipt from DepEd bore the same name but had a different signature.
“Makikita po natin ‘yung medyo hindi ho kapanipaniwala. Ako, ordinary po ako na tao, I’m not an auditor, but as you can see it, pareho po ‘yung pangalan nila, Kokoy Villamin,” Adiong pointed out. “‘Yung acknowledgment receipt from the [OVP] and at the same time, from the DepEd, the same person, Kokoy Villamin from Ozamiz.”
COA Intelligence and Confidential Funds Auditor Gloria Camora confirmed during the hearing that the scenario was “highly unlikely.” She also noted that the handwriting and signatures on the ARs were inconsistent.
Adiong disclosed that nearly 4,500 ARs were submitted to COA to justify the CIFs—2,670 from the OVP and 1,820 from DepEd. He expressed concern over the lack of supporting evidence accompanying these ARs, which were the sole documents used to account for the disbursed funds.
“With this kind of itong pang-aabuso sa ganitong proseso ng pag-audit na ibibigay lang po nila as [ARs], it opens up so many floodgates of questions which I believe ‘yun ‘yung pinakaimportante po na masagot,” he said.
