The House prosecution panel on Friday said the impeachment court should determine the true identity of "Mary Grace Piattos," a name that allegedly appeared in documents related to confidential funds, after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reportedly found no record matching the name.
During a House of Representatives press conference on June 26, House prosecution panel spokesperson Rep. Zia Adiong said the reported absence of a PSA record raises serious questions about the authenticity of the individual listed as a recipient of confidential funds, although he stressed that the allegation must ultimately be resolved before the impeachment court.
"So let's see kung meron talaga silang, meron talagang tao na mag-appear before the court na ako si Mary Grace Piattos. Excited po tayong lahat para once and for all magpapatunayan po natin na ma-establish itong identity na ito na hindi puro sa haka-haka," Adiong said.
Pressed by reporters on the implication of the PSA's reported findings, Adiong responded that the logical conclusion is that the supposed recipient "might probably be a made-up character," while emphasizing that this remains an allegation that must be proven in the proper legal forum.
"The logical conclusion is that those who received the confidential funds indicated under the confidential funds might probably be a made-up character. Now, that's the allegation. And the only way to establish that is through a proper forum, which is being agreed by both sides. And the proper forum is the court. Let the court find out who really is Mary Grace Piattos," he said.
House prosecution panel spokesperson Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. echoed the position, saying that if it is established that no such person exists, it could strengthen the prosecution's allegation that "Mary Grace Piattos" was merely a fictitious identity used in documents involving confidential funds.
Tolosa added that if the individual does exist, the person should appear before the impeachment court and testify to verify the identity and clarify the issue.
The identity of "Mary Grace Piattos" has become one of the issues surrounding the scrutiny of confidential fund disbursements and is expected to be among the matters that may be examined during the impeachment proceedings. House prosecutors maintained that the court is the proper venue to determine the facts and establish whether the individual is real or fictitious.
