Palace urges VP Sara: Come clean on ‘fake’ names
Malacañang on Wednesday urged Vice President Sara Duterte to return to the country to dispute the findings of a House committee on the suspicious names that have received confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) from her office.
At a press conference, Palace press officer Claire Castro urged Duterte to return home and serve her constituents, as she is still an elected public servant.
“Since these suspicious names are uncovered, their veracity has yet to be proven because, as of the moment, they are given a presumption of regularity,” she said.
“But since these are now being questioned, it is but incumbent upon VP (Vice President) Sara to prove whether these receipts are fake or not,” Castro said.
She made the statement in reaction to the latest findings of the House Committee on Good Government about the growing list of “questionable” names that were listed as recipients of Duterte’s CIF.
Duterte is facing an impeachment complaint over allegations of misuse of about P612.5 million in confidential funds under her watch as the head of the Office of the Vice President and secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023.
Ghost expenses
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Orega V (La Union 1st Dist.) revealed that they have found more evidence of alleged ‘ghost expenses’ through acknowledgment receipts signed under “spurious” names.
The House panel flagged names such as “Jay Kamote” and “Miggy Mango” in Duterte’s list of CIF recipients, in addition to “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Kokoy Villamin” that were tagged in earlier hearings.
Ortega said that five other recipients had the same first name as “Dodong,” but were surnamed Alcala, Bina, Bunal, Darong, and Barok.
The lawmaker also tagged a name “Xiaome Ocho,” which, he said, resembles the Chinese phone brand Xiaomi.
Ortega said the spurious names listed were also absent from the PSA’s records.
Castro believes that the latest discoveries should support a deeper investigation into the use of Duterte’s CIF.
“It is the right of the public to know where funds are being spent, where these are going,” she said.
Castro said Duterte, who is currently in the Netherlands visiting her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, needs to be reminded that she is needed here in the country.
“I think she has to keep in mind that the country needs her here as Vice President,” she said.
“She also needs to be working not only for her father—although that is acceptable and we understand how she feels right now—but she also has to remember that she needs to serve her constituents since she has been saying all along that millions voted for her,” Castro added.
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