FORENSIC examiners from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed to the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday that handwritten entries on some acknowledgment receipts from alleged beneficiaries of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s confidential funds were written by few persons.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag and forensic examiner Carolyn J. Moldez-Pitoy presented a four-page report on their review of the 36 acknowledgment receipts.
According to Pitoy, the bureau found that as few as seven individuals may have written all 36 receipts.
“There are seven groups of handwritten receipts that were found to be written by one and the same person. Pitong magkakagrupo po, na bawat grupo, isang tao lang ang sumulat,” she said.
Misamis Oriental Rep. Jennifer “Karen” Lagbas sought clarification on whether this meant only seven individuals had signed all the receipts. Pitoy explained that while seven individuals is one possibility, a single person may have written only the dates, only the names, only the signatures, or any combination of the three.
She added that the NBI withheld its opinion on certain portions of the receipts where the handwriting samples were deemed insufficient for comparison.
This explains, for instance, why the NBI concluded that the signatures above the names Sally Rendon and Sheila Dado were written by the same person, while also finding that the handwritten dates below the names of Analisa Ziño and Ken Naso were written by the same person — but offering no opinion on their signatures.
In its examination, the NBI analyzed the form, structural pattern, direction of line strokes, alignment, and manner of execution of the handwriting found across the 36 acknowledgment receipts.
The other names of alleged confidential fund recipients with questionable signatures or handwriting include Jason Bitangcol, Selsa Arojable, Samson Samuel, Hedda Claribelita Tamayo, Jayson Reignold Ngo, Joseph Caraceo, Raymond Mamon, Angel Marie Abrigo, Anthony Santos, Sabel Salazar, and Milky Secuya.
The alleged anomalies in the receipts were first flagged during the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s 2024 investigation into the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
Lawmakers first raised concerns about allegedly “fictitious names” on the documents during that inquiry — including the infamous “Mary Grace Piattos.” The findings have since fueled questions about whether the funds ever reached actual recipients.
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Rep. Brian Poe and Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores both asked the NBI whether it had also conducted a forensic examination on the roughly 4,000 remaining acknowledgment receipts.
The NBI clarified that it had examined only what the House had requested, particularly the 36 acknowledgment receipts.
Matibag, however, assured the committee that the bureau is “more than willing to examine all the documents” should the panel request it.
