P1 million reward offered for information on alleged OVP fund recipient ‘Mary Grace Piattos’

November 18, 2024 , 07:21 PM

By Gabriel Kim Leal

(November 18, 2024) – Lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Monday announced a P1 million reward for information about “Mary Grace Piattos,” a person linked to the alleged irregular spending of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

This stemmed from acknowledgment receipts submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) to account for P125 million worth of confidential funds disbursed by the OVP in 2022.

One of them showed the signature of a certain “Mary Grace Piattos.” Lawmakers, however, were skeptical of her existence, suspecting that the name might be inspired by a local cafe chain and a brand of potato chips.

“Sinasabi nilang (OVP) totoo (‘yung tao). So kung sino makakatulong sa amin para mahanap si ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ handang magbigay ng pabuya ‘yung mga congressman,” said Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun.

The committee on good governance, chaired by Khonghun, is investigating the alleged questionable spending of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte-Carpio, including her time as the secretary of the Department of Education.

The COA flagged discrepancies in over 100 acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP, citing issues such as incorrect dates and missing signatures.

The OVP previously dismissed them as “typographical errors,” but lawmakers remain unconvinced.

“We want to set an example. We want to know the truth. Kasi it follows. Kapag wala si Mary Grace Piattos, sigurado, halos lahat na ng taong nandoon is fictitious na,” added Khonghun.

Duterte-Carpio, who has declined further participation in the inquiry, has yet to explain how her office spent P125 million worth of confidential funds in just 11 days in 2022.

The next hearing is on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives slashed over P1 billion from the OVP’s proposed budget for next year, a move upheld by the Senate due to Duterte-Carpio’s failure to submit required documents to the committee on finance.

This left the OVP with only P733 million, down from the proposed P2.03 billion.

(With reports from Marianne Enriquez, News5)

(PM)

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