1 week ago
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MANILA, Philippines — As an impeachment court, the Senate cannot comment on the petition filed by Vice President Sara Duterte with the Supreme Court contesting her before impeachment trial.
The Senate made its position known in a Manifestation Ad Cautelam or “in lieu of the required comment” filed yesterday with SC through legal counsel Maria Valentina Cruz.
The chamber said the Constitution explicitly directs the upper chamber to convene as an impeachment court to hear and decide on cases involving impeachable officials.
The Senate said it has the sole authority to decide on impeachment cases in accordance with its mandate under the Constitution, and thus cannot comment on Duterte’s petition seeking to nullify the impeachment proceedings against her.
“Respondent Senate, which has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment under the Constitution, cannot therefore possibly make a comment on the Petition and thus, asks the Honorable Court that it be excused from submitting the comment,” the Senate said in its pleading.
“Respondent Senate further requests that this Manifestation Ad Cautelam be admitted in lieu of the required be considered as compliance with the En Banc Resolution dated February 25, 2025,” it added.
A Manifestation Ad Cautelam is a declaration made “out of caution” as a response to a petition filed in court.
Copies of the Senate’s manifestation were furnished to the Fortun Narvasa & Salazar law office, which serves as counsel for Duterte; the House of Representatives, through Speaker Martin Romualdez; House Secretary General Reginald Velasco; and the Office of the Solicitor General.
The Senate has scheduled the start of Duterte’s impeachment trial on July 30.
Government accountability
As Duterte questions her impeachment before the SC, a senior lawmaker said the overwhelming public preference for senatorial and local candidates with zero record of corruption – based on the latest Social Weather Stations survey – should leave no doubt on the need to have her removed permanently from public office.
“The message is crystal clear: they have anomalies. If seven of 10 Filipinos say weeding out misfits in government is their priority, then it is also our duty to show that we really mean business in going after those who abuse the use of government coffers,” Rep. Jay Khonghun said.
An SWS survey, commissioned by the Stratbase Group and conducted from Feb. 15 to 19, showed that 70 percent of Filipinos would vote for candidates who actively champion anti-corruption efforts.
Khonghun noted that the Senate had two session days left to act on the impeachment complaint transmitted by the House of Representatives, but chose to adjourn early instead of addressing the matter.
He was debunking a claim repeated recently by Sen. Cynthia Villar that the impeachment complaint was transmitted on the last day of session on Feb. 5.
Piattos and Piatos
Meanwhile, House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said “Mary Grace Piattos” is not the only fictitious name in Duterte’s confidential funds disbursement record.
He said the word “Piatos” appeared in other documents, specifically “Pia Piatos-Lim” and “Renan Piatos.”
Ortega said the name “Xiaome Ocho” also appears on the list, seemingly drawn from a Xiaomi cellphone model from 2018.
“The special treatment to the Piattos is too much. There is a Mary Grace Piattos, there is a Pia Piatos-Lim, there is a Renan Piatos. Why is it that they seem to be qualified to receive confidential funds,” Ortega said.
Like Mary Grace Piattos, Ortega said none of the supposed signatories have any records of birth, marriage, or death from the Philippine Statistics Office.
“I hope that they didn’t use the funds to buy a warehouse of chichirya. But it is more concerning because we do not really know where the funds went,” Ortega said.
“We thought that there is only one funny name on the list of confidential funds recipients. But it looks like the entire family of Piattos and one cellphone model was included,” he added.
“You’ll be torn between laughing and getting furious when you see ‘Xiaome Ocho’ on the list,” Ortega pointed out.
Ortega said the impeachment complaint, which the House of Representatives has already transmitted to the Senate for trial includes certifications dated Dec. 8 and Dec. 11, 2024, from the PSA.
He said the House committee on good government and public accountability is examining a list of confidential funds recipients.
According to the PSA, out of 1,992 names linked to the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s confidential funds, only 670 had a “most likely match” in PSA records. Meanwhile, 1,322 individuals had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records (with only 536 possible matches), and 1,593 with no death records (with just 399 possible matches).
“What kind of confidential funds disbursement is this where we cannot pinpoint if the people who received it are true. This is public funds, but seems to have been used in imaginary payroll,” Ortega said.
The findings were detailed in a letter from National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis Mapa to Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability.
The name “Mary Grace Piattos” first emerged at a House hearing where it was revealed that she supposedly signed an acknowledgment receipt on Dec. 30, 2022.
The name – an odd mix of a well-known café and a popular snack brand – became associated with the OVP’s questionable use of confidential funds.
“She needs to explain who exactly makes up this ‘Budol Gang’ when she presents her defense at the impeachment trial,” Ortega said, referring to Duterte.
“We will continue reviewing the documents attached to the impeachment complaint to expose more members of this ‘Budol Gang,’” Ortega emphasized. – Delon Porcalla, Jose Rodel Clapano
