1 week ago
10
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
MANILA, Philippines — Another set of names in Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential fund records has drawn suspicion from House lawmakers. This time, the alleged recipients closely resemble the names of sitting senators.
Beyond celebrity-like names, grocery items and tech brands, the surnames of five senators appeared among the supposed beneficiaries of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds in 2022 and 2023.
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V said on Thursday, May 29 that the ongoing review of receipts, numbering in the thousands for the OVP alone, has flagged several suspicious names:
- Beth Revilla
- Janice Marie Revilla
- Diane Maple Lapid
- John A. Lapid Jr.
- Clarisse Hontiveros
- Kristine Applegate Estrada
- Denise Tanya Escudero
These names bear the surnames of Senators Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, Risa Hontiveros, Jinggoy Estrada and Chiz Escudero.
Ortega emphasized that these dubious names require further verification, describing them as “irregularities” that are “too glaring to ignore,” especially since they do not appear in official birth, marriage or death records from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“Hanggang Senado po, hindi na pinalampas nitong ‘Budol Gang.’ Pambihira, dinadamay pati mga apelyido ng ating esteemed senators,” he said.
(Even the Senate wasn’t spared by this so-called ‘Budol Gang.’ Unbelievable, they’re dragging in the surnames of our esteemed senators.
“Ganyan po kagarapal ang listahan ng supposed beneficiaries ng OVP confidential funds,” Ortega added.
(That’s how brazen the list of supposed beneficiaries of the OVP’s confidential funds is.)
The OVP spent P500 million in confidential and intelligence funds from late 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, purportedly for its socioeconomic programs and safehouses, according to records submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA).
Of the 1,992 OVP fund recipients, the PSA found that most had no official records in their database, which includes a certain “Mary Grace Piattos.”
The congressional probe into Duterte’s alleged misuse of funds not only questioned where the money was spent, but also whether the listed beneficiaries actually received anything at all.
Lawmakers found the expenditure more concerning after discovering that special disbursing officers, who are legally mandated to be the sole individuals authorized to release confidential funds, did not distribute the funds themselves.
Instead, Duterte’s security personnel took over the task, allegedly under her orders.
RELATED: DepEd, OVP disbursing officers: 'Security officers' handled confidential funds
At the same time, the acknowledgment receipts were riddled with mistakes, which the OVP dismissed as mere “clerical errors,” but which lawmakers found all the more questionable.
Ortega said these issues “no longer seem coincidental,” suggesting a likely “systemic attempt to allegedly obscure confidential fund transactions.”
“Public funds ang pinag-uusapan. Kung wala silang maipakitang ebidensya na tunay ang mga taong ito, ito mismo ang magiging matibay na ebidensya laban sa kanya sa impeachment trial,” he added.
(This involves public funds. If they can’t present evidence proving these people are real, that alone could serve as strong evidence against her in the impeachment trial.)
The alleged misuse of confidential funds is central to the second article of impeachment against Duterte, which also cites the questionable use of P112.5 million in secret funds during her tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary.
With Congress set to resume session in June, the impeachment trial draws closer, and more details about the confidential fund recipients are expected to come to light.
“Kung hindi maipaliwanag kung sino talaga ang tumanggap ng pondo, the burden falls squarely on the Vice President,” Ortega said.
(If they can’t explain who actually received the funds, the burden falls squarely on the Vice President.)
RELATED: ‘Kamote’, ‘Mango’ on the list: More dubious names found in OVP confidential fund receipts
