OVP, DepEd confidential funds: Names on receipts were aliases, defense claims

MANILA, Philippines — The defense team maintained yesterday that the names used in acknowledging receipt of confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) were aliases. Defense counsel Justin Nicol Gular made the statement in response to a question from Sen. Risa Hontiveros on whether the names appearing on the acknowledgement receipts were real names or aliases. “Given that it has become a material matter, we have to couch this answer that it is classified information. But these are, in fact, aliases, for the consideration of this court,” Gular said during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia presented PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande in connection with the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and DepEd in 2022 and 2023, which department Duterte formerly headed. Gular said the defense would address the matter at the appropriate time during its presentation of evidence. “I will veer away from making conclusions of lower facts as of the moment,” he said. The name “Mary Grace Piattos,” which is presumed to be fictitious, first surfaced during the House quad committee hearings last year and was believed to be among the informant-recipients of the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd. Gular said the defense only raised the issue of aliases and classified information in response to Hontiveros’ question. “The only reason that was brought up, and to clarify, not only aliases but classified information, was because of the inquiry of our good senator-judge Risa Hontiveros. So, I don’t think it was timing. It was just a matter of what came up during the trial,” Gular said. Grande earlier testified that the PSA has no record of the birth or death of any individual named Mary Grace Piattos.