TEAM Grocery—Pampano, Harina, Casim, Bacon, Patty Ting — joins the supposed Budol Gang or list of fake names linked to the alleged misuse of VP Duterte’s P500 million confidential funds under OVP
HOUSE Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Sunday revealed a new set of fictitious names in the alleged Budol Gang—dubbed “Team Grocery,” including Pampano, Harina, Casim, Bacon, and Patty Ting—who were allegedly listed as beneficiaries of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte’s P500 million confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Ortega made the disclosure following earlier controversies involving names such as chichirya, cellphone, fruit, the Dodong Gang, and Team Amoy Asim—purportedly part of the so-called “Budol Gang.”
He said this development has further fueled suspicions that large sums of public money were allegedly funneled to fictitious individuals.
The House leader from La Union noted that the new names bear an uncanny resemblance to food items commonly found in wet markets and neighborhood groceries.
Topping the list is “Beverly Claire Pampano,” referencing a popular fish sold nationwide, Ortega said.
Next, according to Ortega, is “Mico Harina,” whose surname translates to “flour,” a basic ingredient in bread and native pastries.
Then there’s “Patty Ting” and “Ralph Josh Bacon,” which evoke burger staples, while “Sala Casim” refers to “kasim,” a pork shoulder cut widely used in Filipino dishes like adobo and menudo, Ortega added.
“Mukhang listahan po ng mga bibilhin sa palengke o grocery ang mga bagong pangalang nakita natin,” Ortega said, referring to the latest bogus names allegedly tied to disbursements from the OVP’s confidential funds, which are expected to be exposed during the looming impeachment trial of Duterte.
Ortega said the names of Pampano, Harina, Patty Ting, Bacon, and Casim were submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA).
Like many others flagged by the House of Representatives, Ortega said Pampano, Harina, Patty Ting, Bacon, and Casim do not match any official birth, marriage or death records from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“Kung hindi sila totoong tao, nasaan napunta ang pondo?” Ortega said.
Ortega said the whimsical nature of the names is just the tip of the iceberg.
He said the absence of government-issued records suggests that someone may have deliberately crafted the “grocery list” to allegedly release the confidential funds.
Similar controversies—including names referencing snack brands, tech gadgets, and random aliases—have also appeared in previous records tied to the OVP and the Department of Education’s (DepEd) combined P612.5 million confidential funds.
“Hindi ito ang unang beses na may nakita tayong katawa-tawa o kakaibang pangalan,” Ortega noted.
“Ang mas nakakalungkot, patuloy itong nadadagdagan. Typo ba ito? Mukhang may effort na talagang mag-imbento ng listahan para pagtakpan kung saan dinala ang pondo,” Ortega alleged.
Last week, Ortega bared the bogus names “Amoy Liu,” “Fernan Amuy,” and “Joug De Asim,” dubbed as “Team Amoy Asim.” They were allegedly listed as beneficiaries of DepEd’s confidential funds under then Secretary Duterte.
Apart from the now notorious “Mary Grace Piattos and Kokoy Villamin,” other “Budol Gang” names have also been revealed, including “Renan Piatos,” “Pia Piatos-Lim,” “Xiaome Ocho,” “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango” and five individuals all named “Dodong.”
Out of 1,992 supposed recipients of confidential funds at OVP, Ortega said 1,322 had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records, and 1,593 had no death records.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, also revealed earlier that 405 out of the 677 names listed as beneficiaries of DepEd’s confidential funds under Duterte have no birth records, a clear indication that the names were allegedly fabricated.
