By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Manila Rep. Joel Chua on Friday challenged Vice President Sara Duterte to address lingering questions surrounding the identity of “Mary Grace Piattos” and the alleged P6.7 billion in transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), saying the public has long been waiting for answers.
Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel in Duterte’s impeachment trial, stated in response to the Vice President’s recent appeal for government officials to stop engaging in politics and instead focus on addressing the country’s economic and peace-and-order concerns.
During a press briefing, Chua said accountability remains a legitimate public concern and urged Duterte to answer the allegations raised against her.
“The Filipino people have also been waiting for the day she explains who Mary Grace Piattos really is,” Chua said. “They have been waiting for her to respond to the issues raised during the impeachment proceedings.”
He also called on Duterte to explain the source of the funds involved in the alleged P6.7-billion transactions cited by the AMLC.
“I hope she answers those questions first before claiming that everything being done is merely politics,” Chua added.
The name Mary Grace Piattos surfaced during the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s inquiry into the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The name appeared as one of the signatories in acknowledgment receipts submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) to support the liquidation of confidential expenses supposedly paid to intelligence informants.
However, lawmakers later questioned the authenticity of the individual after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reportedly found no birth, marriage, or death records under the name, fueling suspicions that the identity may be fictitious.
Duterte made her remarks while in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, where she urged government officials to stop politicizing issues and instead devote their efforts to improving the economy and maintaining peace and order.
She argued that Filipinos have long been waiting for meaningful progress and that public officials should prioritize governance over political conflicts.
Chua, however, maintained that seeking accountability is not political persecution but part of the constitutional duty of public officials.
Meanwhile, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon rejected Duterte’s claim that the government has been preoccupied with politics, saying the administration continues to pursue programs aimed at improving the economy and uplifting the lives of Filipinos.
Ridon cited ongoing initiatives to increase workers’ salaries, improve economic conditions, and ensure that the country’s upper middle-income status translates into tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.
House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin also defended the impeachment proceedings, stressing that the House of Representatives is merely carrying out its constitutional mandate.
Garin said lawmakers cannot ignore impeachment complaints once sufficient grounds have been established, adding that Congress has continued to perform its legislative responsibilities even as the impeachment process moves forward in the Senate.
The impeachment trial against Duterte formally began this week, with House prosecutors initially presenting Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which centers on the Vice President’s controversial statement threatening President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed.
The remarks were made during Duterte’s outburst over the detention of her former chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, by the House committee investigating the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
ia/xf
