PSA Finds No Records for 'Kokoy Villamin' and 'Mary Grace Piattos'

 

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced on Wednesday that it found no records for "Kokoy Villamin," a name that reportedly appeared on receipts submitted by Vice President Sara Duterte's office to justify its confidential funds.

A lawmaker previously stated that the name "Kokoy Villamin" was present on multiple acknowledgment receipts from 2022 and 2023, but with inconsistent handwriting and signatures. "We examined the request and waited for further information, but we did not find any records related to that individual," said PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande. "Our verification returned negative results," she informed TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

Grande acknowledged that "Kokoy" might be a nickname but emphasized that full names should be included in official documents.

Mary Grace Piattos

On Tuesday, the PSA reported that it found no birth, marriage, or death records for "Mary Grace Piattos," another name linked to at least one receipt allegedly submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to the Commission on Audit (COA) to justify its confidential expenses in 2022.

Several lawmakers had offered a reward of P1 million for anyone who could help identify "Mary Grace Piattos," suspecting that the receipt was "bogus" and that the signatory was a "fictitious" entity possibly named after a restaurant and a snack.

"As of now, there is no existing record for Mary Grace Piattos," Grande stated.

 The PSA indicated that it could conduct further searches for civil registry documents if provided with additional information, such as the names of Mary Grace Piattos' parents.

 "Most of our unregistered individuals are from marginalized backgrounds. However, there are also a few cases where files may exist in civil registry offices but have not yet been endorsed to us," Grande noted.

 During a recent House hearing, a special disbursing officer from the OVP claimed that the surname "Piattos" does exist in Davao City.

Duterte has denied allegations of corruption and misuse of funds, asserting that the House investigation represents political persecution.

In late November, she declined to comment on "Mary Grace Piattos," stating she had not seen the receipt where the name supposedly appeared.