MANILA, Philippines — The name “Mary Grace Piattos” has no record with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In a certification issued November 25, 2024, the PSA attested that a certain Mary Grace Piattos has a “negative record” of birth, marriage, and death in the “PSA Civil Registry System database.”
The PSA also said it could conduct a deeper search on the name and “ascertain whether [a] civil registry document is available in the database” if more information, such as the name of her parents, among others, can be provided.
The House committee on good government and public accountability said it received the PSA certification on Monday afternoon. The panel shared a copy of the document with members of the media on Tuesday.
READ: Reward offered, but no leads in search for ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ after 11 days
The name Mary Grace Piattos surfaced during the investigation of the House committee on good government and public accountability on the alleged misuse of public money – specifically, confidential funds – with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte.
She was supposedly the person who signed acknowledgment receipts of money from the OVP’s confidential fund. The acknowledgment receipts were part of the liquidation reports submitted to the House panel as it tackled the 158 receipts that covered OVP confidential funds amounting to P23.8 million.
A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) certification showing that it has no record of a certain “Mary Grace Piattos,” who supposedly signed acknowledgment receipts of money from the confidential fund of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte. Photo courtesy of the House committee on good government and public accountability. Last November 18, lawmakers raised a P1-million reward for anyone who can provide information on the whereabouts of a certain Mary Grace Piattos.
READ: The P1 million question: Where is ‘Mary Grace Piattos’?
It was Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop who pointed out to the Commission on Audit (COA) that several acknowledgment receipts were signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos.
During the panel’s November 5 hearing, Acop expressed doubts about whether she is a legitimate identity as the signatory’s first name is similar to a popular coffee shop and restaurant while her last name is the same with a famous potato chip brand.