Vice President Sara Duterte said the names listed as recipients of confidential funds in her office and during her time as Education Secretary were not real people, but aliases used in intelligence missions.
She made this statement during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, when asked about the accusations in her impeachment case. These accusations include using fake names in the budget records for confidential funds.
Duterte said she would answer all the allegations during the trial. Her lawyers are now working to collect proof and written statements to defend her.
She explained that it is common to use fake names or code names in intelligence work.
“It’s wrong to believe everything some House members are saying about the list of fake names,” Duterte said. “There are rules in intelligence work, and aliases are often used.”
When asked to explain more, Duterte said she would only talk about those details during the trial. She also said her legal team includes two intelligence experts who will help explain how the system works.
She added, “Let’s wait for the trial. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll speak publicly about it. I want to see what happens to the articles of impeachment first.”
Some of the names found on the list, like “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Chippy McDonald,” “Marian Rivera,” and “Chel Diokno,” made the public question how the funds were used in the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
The Philippine Statistics Authority also reported that most of the people listed as fund recipients had no birth records. This includes 1,322 out of 1,992 from the OVP, and 405 out of 677 from the DepEd.
