No 'Mary Grace Piattos' in the Civil Registry System — PSA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said that the name “Mary Grace Piattos” does not appear in their database of birth, marriage, or death certificates.
Piattos was one of the named recipients in the acknowledgment receipts of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds.
According to the PSA, the specific documents they checked for in the Civil Registry System are the certificate of live birth, certificate of marriage, and certificate of death.
The statistics agency said they could conduct further verification if they have information on the names of Piattos’ parents.
NEWS UPDATE: The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) informed the House good government committee that a "Mary Grace Piattos" could not be found in its database of birth, marriage, or death certificates.
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) December 3, 2024
Piattos is listed as a recipient of confidential funds in the Office of… pic.twitter.com/WNy9S6IrxS
In their search for Piattos, the The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability sought the PSA’s assistance to verify the recipient’s existence.
At the same time, some committee members previously announced a P1 million reward for information on Piattos, which they said they pooled.
RELATED: Is ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ real? P1M reward up for info on OVP fund recipient
The good government panel received the certification of verification from PSA on Monday afternoon, December 2. The media received a scanned copy of the document on Tuesday, December 3.
Why look for ‘Mary Grace Piattos’?
Piattos was just one of the "fictitious" names that lawmakers found suspicious in the 158 acknowledgment receipts they flagged for inconsistencies and typographical errors.
During the committee’s seventh hearing on the OVP and Department of Education's (DepEd) alleged misuse of confidential funds, the OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta herself said she does not know any “Mary Grace Piattos.”
However, she said that there are people in Davao City with the surname “Piatos,” with a single letter T.
Based on the Joint Circular 2015-01, which outlines the current guidelines on confidential fund use, the special disbursing officer is “in charge of making [the] disbursements.”
This means Acosta is responsible for giving out payments related to the OVP’s confidential activities.
The special disbursing officer is also among the officials who will be held accountable should there be a case of misuse of confidential and intelligence funds, according to the same circular.
So, why is the name “Mary Grace Piattos” unknown to Acosta, who keeps a record of the payments made through acknowledgment receipts?
While she is the OVP’s special disbursing officer, she told the good government panel that she was not the “field officer” who made the payments themselves and collected the acknowledgment receipts.
RELATED: DepEd, OVP disbursing officers: 'Security officers' handled confidential funds
Acosta said she had given the OVP’s P500 million confidential funds — in tranches of P125 million — to colonel Raymund Dante Lachica, head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group.
She explained that she was only instructed by Vice President Sara Duterte to “disburse” the funds to Lachica since he was designated for conducting “surveillance and monitoring operations.”
Lachica was also the one who provided Acosta with the acknowledgment receipts. She trusted that the documentary evidence was accurate because Duterte appointed him to conduct the task.
Acosta also confirmed that she and Duterte are the two officials who discuss matters on the OVP’s confidential funds.
The good government committee invited Lachica to the next hearing.
The first impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed on Monday and endorsed by Rep. Perci Cendana (Akbayan Party-list). One of the reasons cited was the “anomalous” transactions involving confidential funds, alleging a case of graft and corruption.
- Latest
- Trending
