A two-month-old baby and individuals who had already been dead for decades were among names identified in records allegedly linked to the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza B. Grande.
Grande disclosed on Monday, September 7, during Day 22 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, as the prosecution continued presenting evidence under Article I of the Articles of Impeachment concerning the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
According to Grande, the PSA’s verification found 25 minors among the listed payees in 2023, while 37 individuals had already died by that year.
The PSA official further testified that 32 names from the OVP payee list and five names from the DepEd list had corresponding death certificates recorded in the agency’s Civil Registry System (CRS) database.
Among the minors identified in the records was Marlene Sunga, whom Grande identified as the youngest person in the verified list.
When asked by prosecution lawyer Atty. Mae Divinagracia about Sunga’s age, Grande said the death certificate showed that she was only two months old when she died.
“Doon po sa records na vinerify namin, ang pinakabata ay si Marlene Sunga,” Grande said.
Divinagracia then asked Grande about Sunga’s status in the PSA records and was told that the agency had a copy of her death certificate in its CRS database.
“As per the record po, ay merong kopya ng death certificate po na nakatala sa CRS database po,” Grande testified.
The prosecution then presented Sunga’s death certificate, which showed that she died on November 2, 1965.
When Divinagracia asked how long Sunga had been dead by 2023, Grande initially answered about 57 years.
Presiding Officer Senate President Chiz Escudero corrected the computation during the hearing.
“Ma'am, mali yung math niyo. 69 ako pinanganak, 57 ako ngayon taon na to eh. Kung 65 yan, mas matagal pa. Dagdagan mo, ma'am, ng 4 years,” Escudero said.
Grande subsequently corrected her answer to 61 years.
The exchange came as the prosecution examined the PSA records to establish the identities and status of individuals appearing in the alleged confidential fund payee lists.
Grande explained that the PSA verification involved checking names against its Civil Registry System. A “single-match entry” refers to an exact and unique match identified in the PSA database.
The prosecution is presenting the PSA findings as part of its evidence in support of allegations involving the use and liquidation of confidential funds by the OVP and DepEd.
The defense has objected to questions seeking to draw conclusions from the records beyond what the PSA documents establish. During the questioning concerning the alleged confidential information that a two-month-old child could have provided, the defense objected on the ground of speculation.
The impeachment proceedings remain focused on Article I, which alleges irregularities in the utilization and liquidation of confidential funds involving the OVP and DepEd.
