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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Castro chides VP Duterte: What's next, a 'Ms. Goldilocks Chippy?'

Castro chides VP Duterte: What's next, a 'Ms. Goldilocks Chippy?'

Published Nov 19, 2024 01:59 am

At A Glance

  • ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro chided Vice President Sara Duterte over what the Makabayan solon described as highly questionable receipts for confidential funds, especially the one that was signed by "Mary Grace Piattos".

20240830_125346.jpgACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro chided Vice President Sara Duterte over what the Makabayan solon described as highly questionable receipts for confidential funds, especially the one that was signed by "Mary Grace Piattos".

Castro, a House deputy minority leader, is inclined to believe that Mary Grace Piattos is a fictitious person.

In the Philippines, "Mary Grace" is the name of a restaurant, while "Piattos" is a brand of potato chips.

"Baka maya-maya ay may sumulpot namang Ms. Goldilocks Chippy na imbento din nila? Kaya naman din ayaw talaga niyang dumalo sa good government hearing dahil kapag nanumpa siya na magsasabi ng totoo ay wala na siyang lusot," Castro said of the Vice President.

(What will they invent next, Ms. Goldilocks Chippy? Maybe that's why she really doesn't want to attend the good government hearing, because once she takes an oath, she has no escape.)

The Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability--the House of Representatives equivalent to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee--has been investigating the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) under the Vice President.

Vice President Duterte earlier said that she would skip the scheduled Nov. 20 hearing of the panel and instead submit a sworn statememt on the allegations.

Pointing to the receipts, Castro said: "This is a clear case of fraud and misuse of public funds. How can we trust the Office of the Vice President when they cannot even present real people who supposedly received these confidential funds?"

"This is why Congress is now offering a P1-million reward to anyone who can present this mysterious Mary Grace Piattos," Castro said, referring to the money put up by members of the good government panel and the quad-committee (quad-comm).

The lady lawmaker emphasized that VP Sara Duterte's continued absence from congressional hearings only reinforces suspicions about the irregular handling of confidential funds.

"The Vice President must face the Filipino people and explain these irregularities. These are public funds we're talking about. Her deliberate avoidance of legislative scrutiny raises serious questions about transparency and accountability in her office," Castro concluded.

Related Tags

confidential and intelligence funds Sara Duterte FRANCE CASTRO Mary Grace Piattos
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