Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza B. Grande took the witness stand on Monday, September 7, as the House prosecution presented its latest witness on the 22nd day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Grande testified on the PSA’s verification of names appearing in acknowledgment receipts used to account for confidential fund expenditures of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Her testimony is intended to address allegations that some individuals listed as recipients of the funds could not be verified through official civil registry records.
The prosecution has previously cited names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Milky Secuya,” and “Kokoy Villamin,” which appeared in documents linked to the confidential funds. During a House inquiry in April, Grande confirmed that the PSA had no birth, marriage, or death records corresponding to those names.
However, Grande previously clarified that the absence of a PSA civil registry record does not, by itself, conclusively establish that an individual does not exist, noting that some records may not have been registered or may lack sufficient information for verification.
Prosecutors have said PSA officials were called to testify because their verification formed part of the investigation into the identities of alleged recipients of confidential funds. Prosecutor Terry Ridon earlier explained that the PSA study found that some names in the acknowledgment receipts had no corresponding records showing that the individuals were born, married, or died in the Philippines.
Grande's testimony falls under Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of the alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds—₱500 million allocated to the OVP and ₱112.5 million to DepEd during her tenure as education secretary.
Appearing for the prosecution is Atty. Mae Divinagracia, while Atty. Justin Nicol Gular represents the defense.
The prosecution is expected to use Grande's testimony and PSA records to establish whether the individuals named in the acknowledgment receipts could be verified through government records and to support its allegations concerning the liquidation of confidential funds. The defense, meanwhile, has previously maintained that the use of aliases may be explained by the nature of confidential operations.
