MANILA. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has reported a glaring discrepancy in the national registry, revealing that over 1,300 individuals listed as recipients of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) ₱ 500 million confidential fund lack birth records.
The findings, presented in a letter by National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa to Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, were based on the PSA’s verification of 1,992 names tied to the OVP’s confidential funds. The results indicate:
- 1,322 names had no birth records in the PSA database.
- 1,456 names lacked marriage records, with only 536 potential matches.
- 1,593 names had no death records, with only 399 possible matches.
“This certification from the PSA leaves little doubt — if these names cannot be found in the civil registry, it strongly suggests they do not exist,” said Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
He further alleged, “The acknowledgment receipts may have been manufactured to justify the disbursement of confidential funds. These findings raise a critical question: if the recipients don’t exist, where did the money go? This is not just a clerical error; this points to a deliberate effort to misuse public funds.”
Discrepancies in Documents
The PSA findings add weight to earlier suspicions raised by the House panel, including irregularities in documents submitted by the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), both of which were under the purview of Vice President Sara Duterte during the period in question.
Among these discrepancies was a recurring name, “Mary Grace Piattos,” which appeared frequently on acknowledgment receipts for the confidential funds. However, the PSA was unable to locate any record of this individual in its database.
The panel has since announced a ₱1-million reward for any information on “Mary Grace Piattos.”
Vice President Duterte has distanced herself from the allegations, stating, “I have not seen the acknowledgment receipts from confidential funds supposedly signed by ‘Mary Grace Piattos.’”
Call for Accountability
The report has intensified calls for transparency regarding the OVP’s use of confidential funds. GMA Integrated News reached out to the OVP for comment, but no statement has been issued as of press time.
“These are public funds. Every peso must be accounted for,” Chua emphasized, underscoring the gravity of the findings.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the House panel vowing to uncover the truth behind the alleged misuse of public resources.
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
