The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday shrugged off the House prosecution panel’s plan to call “Mary Grace Piattos” as a witness in the impeachment trial, saying it is prepared to cross-examine anyone who may appear when the proceedings begin on 6 July.

Lawyer Michael Poa, a member of Duterte’s 16-man legal team and a former Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary, said the choice of witnesses rested entirely with the prosecution.

“As far as we are concerned, that is the prosecution’s prerogative because those are their witnesses. If they are presented, we will be ready to cross-examine them,” Poa told reporters on the sidelines of the fifth day of the impeachment pretrial conference.

Poa likewise said he had no objection to being called as a witness after the House prosecutors included him among their prospective witnesses.

“I have no problem with that, especially if they ask me about matters unrelated to my role as counsel for the Vice President,” he said.

He declined to say, however, if Duterte herself would testify during the trial, saying that any decision would depend on the defense’s strategy.

57 witnesses

“If necessary, I cannot yet say under what circumstances (she will testify). That will form part of our legal strategy,” Poa said.

The prosecution has listed 57 witnesses, including “Mary Grace Piattos,” Poa, Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, and several current and former government officials.

The inclusion of “Mary Grace Piattos” will be closely watched after the name figured prominently in the House investigation into Duterte’s use of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education in 2022 and 2023.

During the House inquiry, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that no birth, marriage or death records could be found for a person named Mary Grace Piattos, despite OVP acknowledgement receipts indicating that she had received some of the confidential funds.

House investigators also flagged numerous acknowledgment receipts as highly suspicious, citing identical handwriting, signatures, ink, incorrect dates, and missing information, fueling suspicions that some of the documents were fabricated to justify the confidential fund expenditures.

Lawmakers had earlier offered a P1-million reward to anyone who could identify or find “Mary Grace Piattos,” but no one came forward.

The House inquiry also questioned several other names appearing in the acknowledgment receipts, including “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango,” “Dodong Gang,” “Xiaome Ocho,” “Mico Harina,” “Ralph Josh Bacon” and “Sala Casim.”

Discrepancies

Records presented during the congressional investigation showed that of the 1,992 individuals listed as recipients of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President, 1,322 had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records, and 1,593 had no death records with the PSA.

Similar discrepancies were also found in the DepEd’s confidential fund records, where hundreds of listed recipients likewise had no corresponding civil registry records.

House prosecutors earlier confirmed that “Mary Grace Piattos” was included in their pretrial brief as a material witness.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution wants to determine once and for all whether the person actually exists.

“They are a material witness, particularly on the issue of confidential funds. If no one appears, it means the person is fictitious. If someone does appear, we can cross-examine that person,” Chua said.

He rejected suggestions that “Mary Grace Piattos” was merely a code name.

“They should reveal who that person really is. That is the only way to settle this issue once and for all,” he said.

Smoking gun

Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon described the possible appearance of “Mary Grace Piattos” as the “smoking gun” in the allegations surrounding Duterte’s confidential funds.

“The existence or nonexistence of Mary Grace Piattos is the smoking gun in determining whether the use of confidential funds was legitimate,” Ridon said.

He said the prosecution was confident the pretrial conference would conclude on schedule despite the thousands of documentary exhibits still to be marked, and the impeachment trial would proceed on 6 July.