THE fake Mary Grace Piattos is not alone.
House Deputy Majority Leader and Young Gun Rep. Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Thursday revealed that new findings from the annexes of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte indicate that the questionable disbursement of confidential funds extends beyond the now-infamous “Mary Grace Piattos.”
However, new documents from the impeachment complaint show that Mary Grace Piattos was not alone. Two other names, seemingly linked to her, have surfaced—“Pia Piatos-Lim” and “Renan Piatos.
But unlike Mary Grace Piattos, Ortega said Pia and Renan have only one “T” in their middle and last names, Piatos, respectively.
He said that the name “Xiaome Ocho” also appears on the list, which is seemingly named after a Xiaomi cellphone model from 2018.
“Grabe naman ang ‘special treatment’ sa pamilya Piattos. May Mary Grace Piattos, may Pia Piatos-Lim, may Renan Piatos. Ano bang meron sa kanila at parang qualified silang lahat makatanggap ng confidential funds?” Ortega said.
Like Mary Grace Piattos, Ortega said none of them have any records of birth, marriage, or death from the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA).
He added, “Sana hindi naman nila ipinambili ng isang warehouse ng chichirya ang pondong ito. Pero ang mas nakakabahala, hindi natin alam kung saan talaga ito napunta.”
But it’s not just snack-inspired names that appear in the PSA list, he said.
“Ang akala natin, isang pangalan lang ang katawa-tawa sa listahan ng confidential funds recipients. Pero mukhang may buong pamilya na ng ‘Piattos’ at pati isang cellphone model na nakasama,” Ortega said.
“You’ll be torn between laughing and getting furious when you see ‘Xiaome Ocho’ on the list,” Ortega pointed out. Xiaomi is a cellphone model from 2018 supposedly received confidential funds? This ‘Budol Gang’ is getting out of hand! First, we have the Piattos family, and now even a cellphone?”
The impeachment complaint, which the House of Representatives (HOR) has already transmitted to the Senate for trial, he said includes certifications dated December 8 and December 11, 2024, from the PSA. These documents examine the list of confidential fund recipients submitted to the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
According to the PSA, out of 1,992 names linked to the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds, only 670 had a “most likely match” in PSA records. Meanwhile, 1,322 individuals had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records (with only 536 possible matches), and 1,593 had no death records (with just 399 possible matches).
“Anong klase itong confidential funds disbursement na hindi natin matukoy kung totoong tao ba ang mga tumanggap?” Ortega questioned. “Public funds ito, pero parang ginamit sa isang imaginary payroll.”
These findings were detailed in a letter from National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa to Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
During a House Quad Comm hearing, the name “Mary Grace Piattos” first emerged when Commission on Audit (CoA) documents revealed that she signed an acknowledgment receipt on December 30, 2022.
Her name—an odd mix of a well-known café and a popular snack brand—became symbolic of the OVP’s questionable use of confidential funds.
This transaction was part of the ₱125 million confidential funds that were allegedly spent in just 11 days.
Given these findings, Ortega stressed that Vice President Duterte must provide clear answers:
“Sino ang Pia Piatos-Lim, Renan Piatos, at Mary Grace Piattos? Sino si Xiaomi Ocho? Paano ginamit ang confidential funds na sinasabing napunta sa kanila?” Ortega asked.
“She needs to explain who exactly makes up this ‘Budol Gang’ when she presents her defense at the impeachment trial,” Ortega added.
More importantly, the young lawmaker emphasized that the real question remains: Who were the actual beneficiaries of the OVP’s ₱125 million confidential funds?
“We will continue reviewing the documents attached to the impeachment complaint to expose more members of this ‘Budol Gang,’” Ortega vowed. “The public deserves the truth. Hindi tayo dapat pumayag na ganito na lang, na parang walang nangyari sa napakalaking budol gamit ang confidential funds.”
