Manila: The House of Representatives will verify whether individuals whose names appear to be legitimate in the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) confidential fund records actually received public money, a lawmaker said on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V announced during a press conference that the 942 names confirmed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to exist-670 recipients listed under the OVP's acknowledgement receipts and 272 under the Department of Education (DepEd)-will be reviewed. Ortega stated, "Maganda rin pong malaman kung nakatanggap nga po ba sila o hindi (It would be good to know whether they really received the funds or not)."
Ortega revealed that the House is in the process of reviewing approximately 4,000 acknowledgment receipts to determine who received the money. This review comes after findings indicated that out of 1,992 supposed OVP recipients, 1,322 had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records, and 1,593 had no death records. Additionally, it was previously disclosed that 405 out of the 677 names listed as beneficiaries of DepEd's confidential funds under Vice President Sara Duterte have no birth records.
Ortega emphasized the importance of confirming whether the 'real' individuals received funds, highlighting that this is just as crucial as identifying fictitious entries. "So again, we have to verify. Mas maganda naman po na sigurado po tayo na itong mga pangalan na 'to eh meron or wala pong records (So again, we need to verify. It's better to be certain whether these names have records or not)," he stated.
The lawmaker pointed out that some names flagged as fake bore similarities to puns, grocery items, or well-known brands, such as 'Beverly Claire Pampano,' 'Mico Harina,' and 'Xiaome Ocho.' Another group of recipients, humorously referred to by Ortega as 'Team Amoy Asim,' includes Amoy Liu, Fernan Amuy, and Joug De Asim. The House also flagged names like Mary Grace Piattos, a combination of a popular bakery and snack food, and Xiaome Ocho, which closely resembles a well-known smartphone brand.
Ortega stressed the necessity of strict compliance with rules when handling confidential funds, stating, "Napaka-simple naman po - susundin lang 'yung guidelines, may paraan po diyan sa paggamit ng confidential funds (It's simple - just follow the guidelines. There are procedures for using confidential funds)." He also mentioned that any definitive answers might now only come through the impeachment process.
