VP SARA DUTERTE composite image from Inquirer file photos
MANILA, Philippines — The inclusion of the confidential fund (CF) misuse issue in the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte gives some “peace of mind” that even if possibly fictitious names of recipients are discovered, answers will be revealed at the trial.
This was the answer of La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V when asked to comment on another wave of weird names found on receipts used to justify the CF use of the Department of Education (DepEd) when it was under Duterte.
“What gives me a bit of peace of mind right now, as I said, is that this is part of the impeachment, it will be tackled during the trial. But it’s a pity if our worst fears are actually true, that the funds did not go to their intended beneficiaries, the correct recipients, and were instead used for a different purpose,” Ortega said.
“I am confident, maybe not only me but maybe other people asking who are these names, where did these come from, why did they receive millions of money, because as I’ve said, these will be tackled during the impeachment and there will be no reason why they cannot answer the questions,” he added.
On Sunday, Ortega announced that more questionable names were found on the acknowledgment receipts (ARs) used to justify DepEd’s CF expenditures.
According to Ortega, lawmakers found names such as “Amoy Liu” and “Fernan Amuy.” “Amoy” means “odor” in Filipino. They also found the name “Joug De Asim.” The Filipino word “asim” means “sour” in English.
READ: Duterte-led DepEd’s secret fund receipts have ‘odor’ names – lawmaker
Ortega also said these names have no records of birth, marriage, and death in the Philippine Statistics Authority’s registry.
The issue of odd named on ARs started when the House of Representatives committee on good government and public accountability investigated the CF disbursements of DepEd and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
At one point in the hearings, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop took notice of the name “Mary Grace Piattos” as it bears a first name similar to a coffee shop and a surname of a famous potato chip brand.
Later on, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two more ARs — one for OVP and another for the DepEd — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin. However, the signatures and handwriting of Villamin differed.
READ: House probe: OVP, DepEd CFs received by same man, different signatures
Last March 6, Ortega bared that individuals who seem to be relatives of Piattos, and a name that sounds like a cellphone brand, Xiaome Ocho, also signed ARs for CF expenditures.
“First, there were names of snacks, cellphones, and fruits. Then came the ‘Dodong Gang.’ Now, we have the ‘Sour-Smelling Team.’ If the fake names on the list already give off a sour impression, what more about the transactions themselves?” Ortega asked.
READ: Piattos’ kin, ‘Xiaome Ocho’ also got VP Sara Duterte’s funds – Ortega
According to Ortega, these new bits of information would only strengthen Article II of the Articles of Impeachment which deals with the CF issue.
He also expects more weird names to come out once lawmakers dig deeper into the ARs.
“Well it will strengthen article two, as we already had the hearings at the good government [committee], it will be better for the issues to be discussed continuously, and this has proven that our findings at the committee were not merely rumors,” he said.
“We expect more names to come out, because there’s over 1,000 [ARs], with DepEd alone there’s 400 plus out of 700. So it’s a trend, so you can expect that more names would come out, and it is good that we have this impeachment because in there, they can finally address the questions that do not have reactions or answers until now,” he added.
The House impeached Duterte on February 5, after 215 lawmakers filed and verified a fourth impeachment complaint hinged on several issues like the alleged misuse of CFs, threats to ranking officials including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and conduct unbecoming of a vice president.
The petition was immediately transmitted to the Senate, as the 1987 Constitution requires a trial to start “forthwith” if at least one-third of all House members — in this case, 102 out of 306 — have signed and endorsed the petition.
READ: House impeaches VP Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate
However, the trial has yet to start as the petition was not forwarded to the Senate plenary before the session ended on February 5. It means Congress would have to reconvene first after the election season, or through a special session to discuss the matter.
Previously, Senate President Francis Escudero said the trial would start on July 30 — with the new set of lawmakers after the 2025 midterm elections sitting as senator-judges.
Several House lawmakers, including members of the prosecution team, previously said that while they respect the Senate’s stand on the matter, they are of the belief that the impeachment trial should start at the soonest possible time.