House prosecutors do not need to present all 4,000 individuals whose names appeared on acknowledgment receipts for Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds to prove their case
Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution intends to call only the witnesses needed to establish its allegations, including the controversial “Mary Grace Piattos,” whose name appeared in liquidation documents for the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds.
“Sa ngayon po si Mary Grace Piattos dahil siya ang pinaka-prominente doon sa lahat ng mga nakatanggap ng confidential fund,” Chua said.
He said it would be impractical and unnecessary to summon all individuals listed in the acknowledgment receipts.
“Hindi naman kailangan lahat kasi kung makikita ninyo, 4,000 ang nakatanggap ng acknowledgment receipt. Hindi mo naman pwedeng ipatawag ang 4,000. Tapos na po ang termino ng susunod na administration, hindi pa po tayo tapos ‘pag lahat ’yan ipatatawag namin,” he said.
Chua said the prosecution’s goal is to present enough testimony and documents to establish specific points under the impeachment complaint.
“We just want to prove a point. May mga point lang tayo na gustong i-prove na sa tingin natin ay kailangan at makakatulong sa panig whether sa prosecution or sa depensa kaya kami nagpapatawag ng mga ganyan,” he said.
The House prosecution panel has alleged that thousands of acknowledgment receipts used to liquidate confidential funds contained fictitious recipients, with the name “Mary Grace Piattos” becoming one of the most prominent examples raised during congressional inquiries.
The name drew public attention after the Philippine Statistics Authority said it found no birth record matching “Mary Grace Piattos,” raising questions over whether the listed recipient exists.
The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to begin the trial proper on July 6.
Duterte is facing impeachment allegations involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery involving Department of Education personnel, and threats against the country’s top officials.