Duterte’s legal team willing to identify 'Mary Grace Piattos' if...

National

THE legal defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte expressed readiness to unmask the identity of “Mary Grace Piattos,” but only if the Senate moves forward with a full impeachment trial.

The spokesperson for the legal team, Atty. Michael Poa, stated that the Vice President has been waiting for a formal legal setting to address the controversy.

“While it may be a cliché, we have been saying that we will answer it (issue on Mary Grace Piattos) in the appropriate forum. This is the appropriate forum, the impeachment," Poa told radio dzMM.

He explained that current restrictions under Republic Act 3019 prevent the disclosure of confidential information to unauthorized parties, but noted, "here in the impeachment, if it is the proper forum, we can finally disclose it and we’ve been preparing for that too.”

The "Piattos" alias—a combination of a popular restaurant and a local snack brand—is a focal point of the impeachment complaints.

Last year, House Deputy Speaker Jay Khonghun alleged that this individual received the largest portion of confidential funds disbursed by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in December 2022.

The controversy stems from 158 acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit (COA).

Lawmakers have raised suspicions that these documents were fabricated to justify the liquidation of P125 million in confidential funds, which were reportedly spent within an 11-day window.

“Of course, we want to answer all of these, so that we can prove that the criticisms of corruption against the Vice President are really baseless,” Poa said, emphasizing that the defense is ready to challenge the allegations of financial misconduct.

The defense team has been preparing for a "full-blown trial" since last year, regardless of pending Supreme Court decisions. Poa noted,

“As far as the defense is concerned, we are pretty much focused on that (trial). In fact, even last year, we expected a full-blown trial as we do not know what the SC’s decision will be, so we’re really preparing for trial.”

Duterte’s legal battery remains a high-profile coalition, featuring members from the prestigious Fortun Narvasa & Salazar law firm.

The 16-member team includes prominent litigators such as Philip Sigfrid Fortun, Gregorio Narvasa II, and Reynold Munsayac, alongside Attys. Mark Vinluan and Ralph Bodota.

“The legal team is a combination of my team. Of course, we also have the Fortun Narvasa. We also have Atty. Mark Vinluan and Atty. Ralph Bodota,” Poa clarified, adding that the group meets regularly to fine-tune their strategy. “It’s business as usual because our preparations haven’t stopped.”

According to Poa, Vice President Duterte remains deeply involved in the legal strategy and was unfazed by the recent filing of complaints. “She has been very hands on. Was she cool about it? To be honest, she was not surprised," Poa said. He recounted her predicting a cycle of political challenges: "In fact, she even told us before, ‘if we get through this year, next year it will happen again. Maybe if we get through this year, maybe in 2027 it will happen again.’"(Jhon Mark A. Aboabo, USJR Comm Intern)