THE latest fictitious names found in the list of the recipients of the confidential funds of Vice President Sara Duterte include an “Amoy Liu,” a “Fernan Amuy,” and a “Joug De Asim,” an administration lawmaker revealed yesterday.
La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said the list of recipients of confidential funds from the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte used to head as secretary until her resignation in June last year, bared a new set of names which he called “Team Amoy Asim.”
“Sa patuloy na pagsusuri ng Kongreso sa listahan ng mga nakatanggap ng confidential funds sa DepEd, may bagong grupo na naman — ang tinatawag nating ‘Team Amoy Asim’ (In the course of Congress’ continuing examination of the list of confidential funds of the Department of Education, there is a group that we call ‘Team Amoy Asim’),” Ortega said in a statement.
The latest entries add to a growing list of suspicious names submitted by the Office of the Vice President and the DepEd to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify the disbursement of millions in confidential funds.
Like all other fictitious fund recipients, Ortega said Liu, Amuy, and De Asim have no birth, marriage, or death records in the database of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) database.
The names are part of the evidence attached to the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President which is pending before the Senate, which will sit as an impeachment court.
“Una, may chichirya, may cellphone, at may prutas. Sumunod ang ‘Dodong Gang.’ Ngayon naman, nandito na ang ‘Team Amoy Asim.’ Kung sa listahan pa lang ay maasim na ang dating ng pekeng mga pangalan, paano pa kaya sa mga transaksyon mismo? (First, there were names taken from snack brands, a cellphone brand and fruits. Next there was a ‘Dodong Gang.’ Now, we have ‘Team Amoy Asim.’ If the list of the fake names already seems sour, what more can we expect from the transactions?” Ortega said.
Ortega was referring to the five “Dodongs,” a “Jay Kamote” and a “Miggy Mango” which were found in the list of recipients after “Mary Grace Piattos,” one “Pia Piatos-Lim” and one “Renan Piatos.”
The name Piattos has been the subject of ridicule because the first name Mary Grace could have been taken from the name of a popular restaurant, while the surname Piattos is a known local potato chips snack brand.
Ortega noted that out of the 1,992 supposed recipients of the confidential funds of the OVP, 1,322 have no birth records; 1,456 have no marriage records; and 1,593 have no death records.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and a member of the House prosecution panel, earlier revealed that 405 out of the 677 names listed as beneficiaries of DepEd’s confidential funds under Duterte also have no birth records, a clear indication that the names were fabricated.
The PSA certifications were submitted to the Chua committee on December 8 and 11, 2024.
The administration lawmaker said the findings further strengthen their impeachment case since among specific acts cited in the Articles of Impeachment was Duterte’s alleged malversation of a total of P612.5 million in confidential funds as vice president and as education secretary.
Duterte is accused of questionable disbursements under the OVP, worth P254.8 million, and linked to 1,322 fictitious beneficiaries who have no birth records, and another P43.2 million in alleged ghost transactions involving 405 fake names under the confidential funds of the DepEd.
The Vice President has failed to explain the dubious names, saying she does not know how the House handled the “chain of evidence,” which Ortega said is just another attempt to evade accountability.
“Nasaan ang mga dokumento? Nasaan ang mga sagot? (Where are the documents? Where are the answers?)” Ortega said. “Kung ito ay hindi panloloko, bakit hindi nila maipaliwanag nang maayos? (If this is not a scam, why can’t it be thoroughly explained?”
Duterte was officially impeached on February 5 after 215 lawmakers endorsed the verified impeachment complaint filed by the majority bloc, exceeding by 113 signatories the constitutional requirement of one-third of all members of the House of Representatives, which currently has 306 members.
The Articles of Impeachment accused Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. It was transmitted to the Senate also on February 5. The trial may start in July.
