1,300 OVP confidential fund recipients lack PSA records

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has revealed that over 1,300  individuals who reportedly received disbursements from the Office of the Vice President's (OVP's) P500-million confidential fund do not have records in the national registry.

According to a Sunday 24 Oras Weekend report, the PSA verified the identities of 1,992 names linked to the OVP's confidential funds. Results showed that only 670 names had a “most likely match” in PSA records, while 1,322 lacked birth records.

Additionally, 1,456 individuals had no marriage records, with only 536 possible matches, and 1,593 lacked death records, with only 399 potential matches.

These findings were outlined in a letter from National Statistician and Civil Registrar General  Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa to Manila 3rd District Representative  Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public  Accountability.

“This certification from the PSA leaves little doubt — if these names cannot be found in the civil registry, it strongly suggests they do not exist. The acknowledgment receipts may have been manufactured to justify the disbursement of confidential funds,” Chua said in a statement.

“These findings raise a critical question: if the recipients don’t exist, where did the money go? This is not just a clerical error; this points to a deliberate effort to misuse public funds,” he added.

GMA Integrated News has sought a response from the OVP regarding these allegations.

Earlier investigations by the House panel identified discrepancies related to a “Mary Grace Piattos,” a name frequently appearing on acknowledgment receipts tied to the OVP's confidential funds.

The panel announced a  P1-million reward for information on the individual, whom the PSA could not verify in its database.

Documents submitted by the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte's tenure also faced scrutiny for inconsistencies, including incorrect dates and unreadable or unsigned names.

Vice President Duterte said she had not seen the acknowledgment receipts from confidential funds supposedly signed by “Mary Grace  Piattos.” — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA Integrated News