A GROWING list of suspicious and fictional-sounding individuals linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s P612.5 million combined confidential funds spending now includes names resembling celebrities and high-profile personalities, further fueling concerns about the authenticity of government disbursements, House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union revealed Sunday.
Ortega said the new names include Honeylet Camille Sy, Feonna Biong, Feonna Villegas, Fiona Ranitez, Ellen Magellan, Erwin Q. Ewan, Gary Tanada, and Joel Linangan, which closely resemble or echo the names of known Filipino figures.
He noted that the recurrence of such stylized or playful names contributes to growing public suspicion that aliases were intentionally inserted in liquidation reports.
“Hindi nakakatawa ang paulit-ulit na paggamit ng mga pekeng pangalan na parang hinugot mula sa sine at showbiz,” Ortega said.
Ortega said the repetition and creativity of the names no longer seems coincidental, and may point to a supposed systemic attempt to hide transactions involving confidential funds.
“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,” Ortega added.
Like previously flagged entries, Ortega said the new batch of names did not appear in any official birth, marriage and death records from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Honeylet Camille Sy, Feonna Biong, Feonna Villegas, and Joel Linangan were listed as alleged beneficiaries of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) P500 million confidential funds while Fiona Ranitez, Erwin Q. Ewan, Ellen Magellan, Gary Tanada purportedly received portion of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) P112.5 million confidential funds.
Ortega said the latest names were submitted by the OVP and DepEd to the Commission on Audit (COA).
With the Senate impeachment trial against Duterte scheduled to begin in June, Ortega said these questionable aliases could serve as direct evidence of alleged wrongdoing — unless clear, verifiable documentation is produced by the OVP to account for each name listed.
“Hindi na puwedeng basta manahimik si VP Sara dito,” Ortega said.
Earlier, Ortega disclosed the controversies involving bogus-sounding names for Chichirya, cellphones, fruit, the Dodong Gang, Team Amoy Asim, and Team Grocery—purportedly part of the so-called “Budol Gang.”
This absence of documentation raises questions about whether the individuals listed ever existed — or were simply used to facilitate questionable disbursements.
“Kung paulit-ulit na gumamit ang OVP at DepEd ng fictitious names, it is a strict requirement na dapat meron silang journal na nagdo-dokumento kung ano ang tunay na pangalan ng mga ito,” Ortega explained.
“Sabi sa COA joint circular, dapat sealed at nasa vault ang ganito. So, with all these aliases used, the burden of proof na totoo ba o hindi ang mga taong ito lies with the head of agency — in this case, the Vice President,” he said.
The use of aliases in government transactions is not new, especially in operations involving sensitive intelligence work.
However, Ortega warned that any use of fictitious names must comply with the documentation requirements outlined in Joint Circular 2015-01, which governs the handling of confidential and intelligence funds.
Under the circular, agencies must maintain sealed logs linking aliases to real, verifiable identities, to prevent fraudulent use of public funds. Failing to do so could constitute misuse of state resources.
Former COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza had previously explained in media interviews that aliases alone are insufficient to justify fund disbursements.
She clarified that clear and traceable documentation must exist linking these names to actual beneficiaries.
“Sadly or disappointingly, ayaw naman magpaliwanag ni VP Sara,” Ortega lamented.
“She has been asked several times, pero tikom ang bibig niya. Baka naman kasi hindi maipaliwanag ang misteryo ng Budol Gang?” Ortega asked.
Earlier batches of flagged or bogus names from PSA featured fictitious entries resembling snack brands, with some even appearing to form pun-laced groupings.
These include “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Pia Piatos-Lim” and “Renan Piatos,” which were among those earlier exposed in congressional inquiries.
Another controversial name was “Xiaome Ocho,” appearing to mimic the tech brand Xiaomi, raising suspicions that several of the aliases were not just accidental or erroneous entries, but possibly fabricated identities.
Even more peculiar was the emergence of aliases such as “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango” and multiple individuals simply named “Dodong.”
The list has since ballooned to include themed groups, such as the trio dubbed “Team Amoy Asim” – composed of “Amoy Liu,” “Fernan Amuy” and “Joug De Asim.”
Another group was nicknamed “Team Grocery,” consisting of names like “Beverly Claire Pampano,” “Mico Harina,” “Patty Ting,” “Ralph Josh Bacon” and “Sala Casim.”
Ortega emphasized that the unusual nature and volume of these names suggest more than administrative error.
“Kapag ganito karami ang kahina-hinalang pangalan, hindi ito simpleng typo o administrative error lamang,” he asserted.
“Mukhang may deliberate attempt para itago ang tunay na destinasyon ng pondo ng taumbayan,” Ortega said.
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.
