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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Kung hindi lumutang, bogus': Chua shares prosecution's strategy with Mary Grace Piattos

'Kung hindi lumutang, bogus': Chua shares prosecution's strategy with Mary Grace Piattos

Published Jun 25, 2026 12:41 pm

At A Glance

  • The House prosecution panel lists "Mary Grace Piattos" as a witness to determine if she is real, since her name appears on acknowledgment receipts for confidential funds tied to Vice President Sara Duterte.
  • Rep. Joel Chua says Piattos is a material witness, stressing that if she surfaces she can be cross-examined, but if she does not, it proves the person is bogus.
  • Prosecutors argue the defense must produce Piattos or reveal her true identity, noting that if she becomes a common witness, it would benefit the prosecution as well.
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (PPAB)
Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (PPAB)


The House prosecution panel has taken it upon itself to list the infamous "Mary Grace Piattos" as a witness in Vice President Sara Duterte's upcoming Senate impeachment trial.
According to solon-prosecutor Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, this move was precisely to find out whether or not Mary Grace Piattos was a real person, especially since she signed acknowledgment receipts (ARs) for confidential funds under the control of Vice President Duterte.
"Material witness po yan lalong-lalo na sa confidential funds. So kung lumutang...kung hindi siya lumutang, ibig sabihin bogus siya," Chua said in a chance interview Thursday, June 25.
(She's a material witness when if comes to confidential funds. So if she surfaces...if she doesn't surface, that means she's bogus.)
"Kung lumutang naman siya puwede namin siyang ma-cross examine," he pointed out.
(If she does appear then we can cross-examine her.)
House members have long suspected that Mary Grace Piattos is a fictitious name, since it is an amalgam of a popular café and a potato chips brand in the Philippines.
The name has since become a poster personality for the alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds on the part of Duterte, dating back to the previous 19th Congress when she was first impeached.
Chua clarified that the prosecution team had never been in contact with Mary Grace Piattos, and that they only wanted to see if the witness would appear before the Senate impeachment court.
As to the possibility that the defense panel would question the prosecution's inclusion of Mary Grace Piattos as witness, Chua sounded unfazed.
"Eh di kuwestyunin nila eh nandodoon yon sa isa sa mga nakatanggap ng confidential funds eh di ba? May pangalan siya dun. Eh di i-produce nila. It should be produced dahil kasi kung hindi nila mapo-produce yon, bogus yon," he said.
(Then let them question it, because it is there under the name of one of those who received the confidential funds, isn’t it? That person’s name is listed there. So let them produce it. It should be produced, because if they cannot produce it, then it is bogus.)
For Chua, the onus is for the defense to show the impeachment court who Mary Grace Piattos really is, in case this name on the AR gets labelled as a "code name". After all, she was entrusted with confidential funds.
"Eh di ilabas nila yong totoo kung sino man yon (Then they should reveal that person whoever that is). That is the only way to settle this issue once and for all," stressed the Manila solon.
Chua reckoned that it would also work in favor of the prosecution if the defense also formally lists Mary Grace Piattos as its own witness.
"Thats good for us. Common witness namin eh di at least i-produce muna nila (If she's our common witness then at least they procude her first)."

Related Tags

Mary Grace Piattos joel chua IMPEACHMENT Sara Duterte confidential fund impeachment trial witness
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