Office of the Vice President (OVP) Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta (PPAB)

An Office of the Vice President (OVP) official has claimed that the surname "Piattos" actually exists in Davao City--thus bringing new hope in the search for the enigmatic individual, "Mary Grace Piattos".

This seemingly new clue was unearthed during the interpellation of Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro at the hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Monday, Nov. 25.

“I wish to believe na nakita niyo na ito in the past hearings. Hypothetical question, kung kayo ba ang magre-release ng pera to a name Mary Grace Piattos, kayo po ba ay papayag?,” Luistro asked.

(I wish to believe that you have seen this in the past hearings. Hypothetical question, if you were to release the money to a name Mary Grace Piattos, would you accept?)

“Papayag ako ma’am, mayro’n naman pong Piattos na apelyido,” responded OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta.

(I will accept ma'am, there are people with the surname Piattos.)

This answer prompted Luistro to ask Acosta if she personally knew Mary Grace Piattos——an alleged signatory to an acknowledgement receipt for confidential funds submitted by the OVP.

“Hindi ko po siya kilala (I don't know her) ma'am,” said Acosta.

The official, however, claimed that “Piattos” was a legitimate surname.

Luistro then asked: “But do you honestly believe na mayroon pong (that there is a) Mary Grace Piattos?”

“Yes ma’am, sa Davao po mayro’n (there is one in Davao),” replied Acosta.

The name of “Mary Grace Piattos” was publicized during an earlier hearing of the House panel investigating the alleged misuse of public funds by the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure as secretary.

The discovery of such a name raised further doubt on the legitimacy of how the two Duterte-led offices utilized its combined P612.5-million confidential funds.

It even became a trending topic in social media. After all, “Mary Grace” is the name of a Filipino restaurant chain, while “Piattos” is a local brand of potato chips.

Last Monday, Nov. 18, lawmakers announced that a P1-million cash reward awaits anyone who can provide information on the identity of “Mary Grace Piattos”.

“Bakit po kaya hindi siya lumulutang? (Why is she not appearing?) I am reminded by the pledge of the Young Guns who contributed to raise P1 million asking Mary Grace Piattos to come out to the open,” said Luistro.

“Bakit po kaya walang lumulutang? If indeed mayroong Mary Grace Piattos sa Davao?,” she asked.

(Why is there no one appearing? If indeed there is a Mary Grace Piattos in Davao?)

“Kasi po nag be-based lang po ako sa sinabi ni Sir Lachica (Because I am just basing it on what Sir Lachica said),” Acosta said.

Before this exchange, Acosta brought up that a certain Col. Lachica of Duterte’s security detail as the one in charge of executing the acknowledgment receipts.

According the OVP official, she essentially entrusted Lachica with the OVP’s P125 million in confidential funds.

“But you kept on claiming that you handed the entire amount to Col. Lechica kaya hindi niyo alam ang nangyari sa pera. Ito na po ang consequence, ipinagtiwala niyo ang disbursement sa hindi naman accountable officer,” said Luistro.

(That's why you don't know what happened to the money. This is the consequence, you entrusted the disbursement to a non-accountable officer.)

The Batangas solon further asserted that if a certain “Mary Grace Piattos” turned out to be fabricated, Acosta would be found accountable.

“Hypothetical question again, having stated na may mga Piattos sa Davao and considering na nag-pledge ang Young Guns ng P1 million…Tama po bang sabihin na kaya walang nagpapakita ng Mary Grace Piattos ay dahil ang totoo, wala naman talagang Mary Grace Piattos, tama po o mali?,” she once again asked.

(Hypothetical question again, having stated that there are Piattos in Davao and considering that the Young Guns pledged P1 million...Is it correct to say that the reason there no Mary Grace Piattos has surfaced is because the truth is, there really is no MaryGrace Piattos, is that right or wrong?)

“Siguro tama po ‘yun (Maybe that’s right) ma’am,” Acosta hesitantly replied.

Emergency situation

Nearing two hours into the intense interpellation of Luistro, Acosta asked the panel to suspend the hearing for an opportunity to consult with her legal counsel.

This came as her blood pressure spiked to 150/100, prompting immediate medical assistance.

Acosta was quickly transferred to a wheelchair, and moved out of the People’s Center in the House of Representatives—the venue of Monday’s hearing.

Vice President Duterte (far right) watches on as Acosta is being maneuvered into an ambulance (Dexter Barro II/MANILA BULLETIN)

As of this writing, she is currently at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC), also in Quezon City. She left the House premises at about 6:30 pm.

Because of this emergency situation, Vice President Duterte asked the House panel to allow her to leave the hearing.

“Mr. chair, Gina Acosta was rushed to the emergency room. So, may I ask permission to join her, leave the hearing, and assist my colleague in the Office of the Vice President,” said Duterte.

Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, panel chairman, obliged.

“Okay, I’ll join you in the next hearing. Thank you,” Duterte said.