VP Sara defense denies plan to present 'Mary Grace Piattos' at trial

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February 5, 2026 | 12:43pm

MANILA, Philippines — The spokesperson for Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment defense team on Thursday, February 5, denied saying they would present the person with the alias of "Mary Grace Piattos" during possible future impeachment proceedings.

Lawyer Michael Poa sent a statement to reporters that news of a plan to surface Piattos was "inaccurate."

"I have not made any such statement, nor have I confirmed or announced any such course of action," Poa said.

He appealed to the media "to avoid attributing statements or positions that were never made, in the interest of a fair public discussion."

The clarification comes after Poa said in a DZMM Radyo Patrol interview on February 3 that the defense team would address the "Mary Grace Piattos" issue "in the appropriate forum" — the impeachment proceedings.

Poa was specifically asked why the vice president would not simply answer the long-standing question of who "Mary Grace Piattos" is.

"Ito na siguro yung appropriate forum [na sagutin], sa impeachment... Yung mga confidential activities may restrictions kasi 'yan sa pagdidisclose. It might jeopardize ongoing operations, etc.," Poa said.

(Perhaps this is the appropriate forum [to answer], in the impeachment... Confidential activities have restrictions when it comes to disclosure. It might jeopardize ongoing operations, etc.)

"So, marahil noong mga panahon na 'yun ay hindi tama dahil baka may majeopardize na operations. Pero itong impeachment, kung ito ang tamang venue, mailalahad na namin," Poa said.

(So, perhaps during those times it wasn't right because operations might be jeopardized. But this impeachment, if this is the right venue, we can finally disclose it.)

Asked whether "finally" there'd be answers to who the individual is behind the alias, Poa said: "Syempre gusto natin sagutin lahat yan. Doon natin mapapatunayan na walang basehan ang mga batikos na katiwalian sa bise presidente."  (Of course we want to answer all of that. That's where we can prove that the criticisms of corruption against the vice president have no basis.)

Poa also confirmed Duterte's lawyers have been preparing for the possibility of a full-blown trial since the first, and now-dismissed, impeachment case.

Who is Mary Grace Piattos?

Mary Grace Piattos — a name combining a popular restaurant chain and a local snack brand — is among the aliases of confidential fund recipients listed in the impeachment complaints against Duterte.

The so-called individual named "Piattos" received the largest share of confidential funds disbursed by the Office of the Vice President in December 2022, according to findings surfaced during House probes on the OVP's use of confidential and intelligence funds in 2024. 

Lawmakers had also flagged other names identified as recipients of Duterte's confidential funds. Receipts showed similar handwriting, the same color of pen in a common pattern, and the same set of signatories. Out of 776 acknowledgment receipts, 302 had unreadable names, with five names appearing multiple times.  

The irregular and questionable aliases of recipients of confidential funds form part of the basis for the impeachment complaints filed against the vice president.