MANILA, Philippines — Just when you thought Vice President Sara Duterte’s scandal over 612.5 million pesos in dubious confidential funds couldn’t get any weirder, it did. Following the bizarre revelation that funds were allegedly disbursed to “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Xiaome Ocho,” whose names were earlier linked to chip brands and cellphones, along with “Pia Piatos-Lim” and “Renan Piatos,” the latest list of recipients suggests that the OVP’s budget may have also fed “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango,” and a buffet of Dodongs — including Dodong Alcala, Dodong Bina, Dodong Bunal, Dodong Darong, and Dodong S. Barok.
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| Photo credit: House of Representatives |
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V has raised eyebrows after disclosing that among the supposed recipients of Duterte’s office’s confidential funds are names that sound more like your weekend grocery list than actual individuals. This new batch of names further fuels speculation that acknowledgment receipts (ARs) were hastily fabricated to justify the use of public money.
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According to PSA records Ortega examined, 670 of the 1,992 names had a “most likely match” in PSA records; 1,322 individuals had no birth records; 1,456 had no marriage records with just 536 identified in records; and 1,593 had no death records with merely 399 showing up in official records.
“First, they [were named after a snack and cellphone]. Now, [they also include] fruits and sweet potatoes…This is not just negligence — this is a carefully planned embezzlement of public funds,” Ortega said.
“The names are fake, the liquidation is fake, and the accountability is fake,” he added.
As her impeachment trial looms, this latest discovery is believed to further complicate the case against Duterte. She was formally impeached on February 5 on charges including large-scale corruption, plotting to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos, and failing to take a firm stance against China’s hostilities toward Filipino forces in the West Philippine Sea. A total of 215 lawmakers — more than twice the required number — voted to send the case to the Senate.
Senate President Francis Escudero has recently laid out a timeline for the proceedings, with key dates set in motion before the trial officially begins on July 30. Here’s the proposed schedule leading up to the impeachment trial:
- June 2 – Presentation of articles of impeachment
- June 3 – Convening of impeachment court; oathtaking of senator-judges
- June 4 – Issuance of summons
- June 14-24 – Reception of pleadings
- June 24-July 25 – Pre-trial proceedings
- July 28 – Inaugural session of the Senate of the 20th Congress
- July 29 – Oathtaking of newly elected senator-judges
- July 30 – Official start of the impeachment trial
State auditor Gloria Camora confirmed to the House Blue Ribbon Committee that Duterte’s office submitted ARs riddled with irregularities. Some receipts had no names, just signatures. Others were completely illegible or featured duplicate names.
Davao’s ‘ghost employees’
Documents and testimonies have previously linked the use of ghost employees to Davao City under both Rodrigo and Sara Duterte, with fake names being added to the payroll to funnel public funds. A VERA Files report detailed how self-confessed Duterte Death Squad (DDS) member Arturo Lascañas admitted to receiving P68,000 monthly as a "ghost employee," with the city government creating fictitious names — many taken from telephone directories — to justify the disbursement of salaries.
Another DDS member, Edgar Matobato, was officially listed as part of the Civil Security Unit but was instead assigned to carry out killings. The Commission on Audit had flagged these irregularities, noting that the salaries of some contractual or job-order employees in Davao City were received by persons “other than those authorized payees.”
At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if they discover a “Boy Bawang” next time. — WALPHS.com