JUST TIP OF THE ICEBERG
THE mysterious case of “Mary Grace Piattos” is merely the tip of the iceberg in a broader issue involving 158 acknowledgment receipts (ARs) that officials from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), led by Vice President Sara Duterte, must address and clarify, according to Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua.
Chua, chair of the House Blue Ribbon Committee, revealed that the panel is considering engaging penmanship experts to examine all 158 ARs submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA) to determine their authenticity.
The receipts were reportedly used to justify the disbursement of P500 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the OVP—P125 million per quarter from the last quarter of 2022 to the first three quarters of 2023. Notably, the first tranche of P125 million was spent in just 11 days in December 2022.
The committee had earlier offered a P1 million reward for any credible information on “Mary Grace Piattos,” a name appearing in suspicious liquidation documents linked to the alleged misuse of government funds by the OVP.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Chua announced that the committee will coordinate with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to verify information about Piattos.
“Mary Grace Piattos” has captured public attention for its unusual and suspicious nature, but Chua emphasized that the name is merely the tip of a larger investigation into questionable ARs.
“Hindi lang ‘yan ang nakita namin na problema dito. Marami po kaming nakitang problema, isa lamang ‘yan sa nakita namin na problema,” Chua said.
Chua said some receipts covered periods when no confidential funds were available, raising concerns that they were hastily produced after the COA issued an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM).
“Ang theory po namin, parang lumabas ang mga [ARs] noong nilabasan po sila ng AOM ng COA. So because of that, nataranta po sila to justify ‘yung liquidation nila. Nag-produce sila ng maraming [ARs],” Chua explained.
The receipts include varying amounts—P60,000, P40,000, P400,000—and are riddled with discrepancies such as mismatched dates, missing signatures, and other irregularities.
The committee also flagged striking similarities in handwriting and ink across the receipts.
“‘Yung mga stroke po, bagama’t iba-iba ang pangalan, pero ang stroke kung paano pinirmahan ito ay isa lang. Pati po ang ballpen na ginamit, iisa ang tinta. Medyo highly suspicious po ang mga [ARs] na isinumite,” Chua said.
He added that if the OVP fails to fully justify the ARs, the committee may conclude that these receipts are fabricated.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig 2nd District Rep. Amparo Maria “Pammy” Zamora echoed Chua’s concerns, highlighting the OVP’s failure to meet even the simplest requirements for ARs.
“And you know, it’s very simple, ‘yung requirements. It’s just an acknowledgment receipt. It asks for a signature, ng pangalan, ng petsa,” Zamora said.
However, she noted glaring inconsistencies in the receipts. “Ang daming [AR] doon na nakita namin—meron walang petsa, merong pirma lang walang pangalan, merong pangalan walang pirma. Merong mali ang petsa, hindi naaayon sa kung kailan ni-release, kung kailan dinisburse,” Zamora explained.
Zamora further raised concerns over the uniformity in handwriting. “Pare-parehas ang sulat. If you go back to it, talagang ‘yung pagsulat nung mga petsa, iisa lang eh. Iniba lang ‘yung pangalan. Meron nga wala pang pirma,” she said.
Given the large sums involved, Zamora called on Vice President Duterte and OVP Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta to appear before the committee and address the discrepancies.
“Napakalaking halaga pero ganito na nga lang ang requirement, hindi pa maitama. Kaya talaga pong, you know, it casts doubt, and that’s why we asked that the VP and the SDO ay magpakita at magpaliwanag naman,” Zamora said.
