Duterte trial Day 22: PSA official to testify on CF payees’ identities

MANILA, Philippines — As Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial opens its 10th week on Monday, the prosecution panel intends to verify the identities of the recipients of Duterte’s confidential funds (CFs).

Scheduled to testify on the 22nd trial date is Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marissa Grande.

In the past weeks, the House prosecution presented the acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) as proof of CF disbursements from late 2022 until the third quarter of 2023.

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READ: 5 witnesses left in VP secret funds scrutiny – prosec

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The receipts both offices submitted to the Commission on Audit raised eyebrows when seemingly suspicious names — resembling food, phrases, brands and animals — were listed as payees.

These names include Mary Grace Piattos, Miggy Mango, Nova Santos, Andy Lim, Antonio Pagong, Xuniso Belat and Shane Ngitngit.

Several names listed as recipients were first unveiled when the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability launched an inquiry into Duterte’s secret funds in 2024.

Following the hearings, the PSA reported that 1,322 payees from the P500-million OVP CFs had no birth records.

The PSA reported the same for another 405 supposed recipients of DepEd’s P112.5-million CFs. /mcm