MANILA – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) was requested to verify the civil registry records of 677 individuals reportedly listed as recipients of confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Joel Chua wrote PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa to authenticate the birth, marriage, and death records of the individuals whose names appeared in the acknowledgment receipts (ARs) submitted by the OVP.
“May we request for the verification of the Civil Registry Documents (birth, marriage, and death) of the names in the attached list relative to the investigation being conducted by the committee,” Chua said in the letter.
The House panel’s request came after the PSA disclosed last week that one alleged recipient, “Mary Grace Piattos,” is allegedly a fictitious identity.
The PSA confirmed no birth, marriage, or death records exist for Piattos, whose name was cited in OVP documents to justify expenses from its confidential funds.
The House committee is looking into allegations of irregularities involving P500 million in confidential funds disbursed by the OVP across four quarters from late 2022 to 2023./PN
