By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Initial results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) investigation on civil registry records of 1,992 individuals linked to the controversial fund were detailed in a December 11 letter addressed by National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua.
It was discovered that nearly two-thirds of individuals listed as recipients of P500 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) have no birth records, fueling suspicions that they may all be fictitious, like “Mary Grace Piattos.”
Of the 1,992 individuals vetted for proof of existence, 1,322 lacked birth records in PSA’s database and only 670 names were identified as “most likely matched” to existing records.
The PSA also found that of the 1,992 names submitted for verification, 1,456 lacked marriage records, with only 536 showing possible matches. Similarly, 1,593 had no death records, while just 399 had corresponding entries.
The current batch of names under scrutiny appeared on acknowledgment receipts (ARs) submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify confidential fund expenditures from late 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.
“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. The ARs may have been manufactured to justify the disbursement of confidential funds,” Chua declared.
“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,” he added further, suggesting that the acknowledgment receipts were likely fabricated.
The verification follows earlier PSA findings that revealed discrepancies in records tied to a separate P112.5-million confidential funds disbursed by the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s term as secretary in 2023.
Out of 677 names investigated in that case, 405 had no birth records, 445 lacked marriage certificates, and 508 had no death certificates. (with report from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News)
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