By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In Thursday’s (Dec. 5) press conference at the House of Representatives, House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V shared several updates and clarifications on the ongoing confidential funds saga.
Chief among them was his reaction to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) probe into “Mary Grace Piattos”, an alleged recipient of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), who was eventually proven to be non-existent.
The La Union representative described the finding as “expected,” given the dubious nature of the names linked to the disbursement of confidential funds by the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte.
“Sayang lang po ’yong pabuya, hindi na makukuha kasi wala naman po talagang Mary Grace Piattos,” Ortega said, as he emphasized the futility of pursuing what he called an obvious fabrication.
The name “Mary Grace Piattos,” which appears to combine the names of a popular restaurant chain and of a local snack brand, has sparked public ridicule since it surfaced on acknowledgment receipts (ARs) submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit.
Ortega noted that the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, is still awaiting verification of other names listed in the ARs, including “Kokoy Villamin.”
Villamin’s signatures, which appear on multiple ARs from the OVP and DepEd, have raised suspicions due to inconsistencies.
“Si Kokoy na lang ang isa pang inaantay din. Pero with the development nga po ni Mary Grace Piattos, malamang sa malamang baka gano’n din po ’yong resulta,” Ortega said, suggesting that other names might also turn out to be fictitious.
Lawmaker debunks claims of House majority’s lobbying efforts on impeach raps vs VP Sara
In another update, Ortega also denied the existence of lobbying efforts within the majority bloc to either support or oppose the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, stressing that lawmakers are focused on legislative work and ongoing hearings.
He revealed that while potentially “impeachable” matters have surfaced during hearings of the House Blue Ribbon Committee and the Quad-Comm, the majority bloc has yet to deliberate on the complaints.
“Hindi pa po namin napag-uusapan as a group and as the majority hanggang ngayon. So never pa namin napag-usapan,” the House leader clarified.
“Pero ’yon nga po, may proseso pong pagdadaanan ’yan. Hindi naman po iisang boto lang ’yan. Boto po ng buong House at ibabato po natin sa Senate, then depende po sa progress ng mga na-file na impeachment complaints,” he explained further.
Ortega also dismissed speculation that external groups, such as religious organizations, have influenced House members on the matter.
He emphasized that the views of all sectors—including business groups, urban poor communities, and other stakeholders—are being considered as part of the legislative process.
Ortega denies link between Palace dinner and impeach raps vs VP Sara
On the other hand, Rep. Ortega quashed speculations that link the recent dinner at Malacañang, attended by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. and more than 200 members of the House, with impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to Ortega, the event was a long-planned gathering that had been in the works for nearly two years but faced repeated delays due to scheduling conflicts, but finally took place at around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 4).
Ortega reiterated that the dinner had no political undertones and did not include discussions about the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte; this was in celebration of a Manifesto of Support to the Chief Executive that was presented during the gathering.
“Hindi nga po napag-usapan ’yong politika. More on ang nasabi ng ating Pangulo, kung ano ang mga trabaho na ginagawa ng legislative at ng executive, magtrabaho lang tayo,” he said.
When asked if the President had reiterated his earlier appeal for lawmakers to refrain from supporting the impeachment complaints, Ortega simply responded, “Wala po.”
Vice President Duterte faces two impeachment complaints, accusing her, among others, of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds and of threatening the President and other officials.
The Blue Ribbon panel, officially known as the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, is investigating allegations that Vice President Sara Duterte misused P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the OVP and DepEd when she was still education chief.
Meanwhile, the Quad-Comm is probing various anomalies, including alleged extrajudicial killings tied to former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. (with reports from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News)
-iro