MANILA, Philippines — The scrutiny surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds enters another critical phase Monday as a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official is expected to testify on the identities of people listed as recipients of millions of pesos in confidential-fund disbursements.
PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande is scheduled to take the witness stand on the 22nd trial day of Duterte’s impeachment case, with prosecutors seeking to establish whether individuals named in acknowledgment receipts can be verified through official civil registry records.
The testimony is expected to focus attention on some of the unusual names that appeared in documents submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to support their liquidation of confidential funds.
Among the names that have drawn attention are Mary Grace Piattos, Miggy Mango, Nova Santos, Andy Lim, Antonio Pagong, Xuniso Belat and Shane Ngitngit, among others.
PSA records at the center of the controversy
The PSA’s earlier examination of names submitted during congressional inquiries became a major part of the controversy.
According to previous reporting, the PSA found that 1,322 of the names associated with the OVP’s P500 million in confidential funds had no birth records. For the P112.5 million in DepEd confidential funds, another 405 supposed recipients reportedly had no birth records.
The figures have become central to the prosecution’s effort to establish its allegations under the first article of impeachment.
The article accuses Duterte of misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds—P500 million allocated to the OVP and P112.5 million allocated to DepEd while Duterte was education secretary.
However, the absence of a PSA record by itself does not automatically establish that a person does not exist. The significance of Grande’s testimony is expected to be in explaining what the PSA’s records actually establish and how its verification process was conducted.
The “Mary Grace Piattos” question
The names on the receipts have been a recurring flashpoint throughout the impeachment proceedings.
Earlier testimony from former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta indicated that the OVP did not maintain records identifying the actual individuals behind some of the names appearing on acknowledgment receipts.
During questioning, Acosta acknowledged that names such as “Pusa,” “Pagong,” “Ngitngit” and “Belat” had been presented as recipient names, while she described the recipients as real people but acknowledged that the names on the documents were not necessarily their real names.
The prosecution later clarified in court that it was not claiming that all confidential-fund recipients simply used aliases, adding another layer to the dispute over what the documents actually prove.
Duterte’s defense has also indicated that it is prepared to address the unusual names and explain the circumstances surrounding their appearance in the confidential-fund documents.
What prosecutors are trying to establish
Grande’s appearance comes as the prosecution moves toward the final stretch of its presentation on the confidential-funds allegations.
Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said five witnesses remained in the prosecution’s lineup as of Sunday, including Grande, Police Maj. Jovelyn Magay, COA employee Bresilio Sabaldan, DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda and former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.
The prosecution has already presented COA auditors, OVP and DepEd officials and military witnesses as it attempts to trace how the confidential funds were released, handled and liquidated.
Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta previously testified that she turned over four P125-million tranches of OVP confidential funds to then-security chief Col. Raymund Dante Lachica upon Duterte’s instruction.
Military officers have also testified that their units did not receive DepEd confidential funds for activities cited in certifications used by the department to respond to COA findings.
P612.5 million under scrutiny
The confidential-funds controversy covers two separate allocations.
The OVP received P500 million in confidential funds, while DepEd received P112.5 million during Duterte’s tenure as education secretary.
Prosecutors have presented acknowledgment receipts and other documents as they seek to challenge the liquidation of those funds. Earlier COA testimony also raised questions about supporting documentation accompanying some of the receipts.
The prosecution previously brought 15 boxes of confidential-fund records before the impeachment court as it began presenting documentary evidence related to Article I.
The bigger question for Day 22
Grande’s testimony could therefore become a key moment in the trial—not simply because of the unusual names written on receipts, but because prosecutors are attempting to connect those names to official government records.
The defense, meanwhile, is expected to challenge how the names were documented, what PSA records can prove and whether the absence of civil registry records is sufficient to establish that the confidential-fund transactions were irregular.
With the prosecution seeking to wrap up its presentation soon, the testimony could help determine how the Senate impeachment court evaluates one of the most controversial elements of the confidential-funds allegations.
And as the PSA witness takes the stand, one question is likely to dominate the proceedings: who were the people actually behind the names written on the receipts?
The answer could become one of the most closely watched pieces of evidence in Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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