The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Wednesday that it found no records for “Kokoy Villamin,” a name that has been linked to receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to justify its confidential funds.
The name was cited by a lawmaker who claimed it appeared on multiple acknowledgment receipts in 2022 and 2023, each with different handwriting and signatures.
However, PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande confirmed that the agency could not find any records associated with the name.
“We checked and waited for any request, but we didn’t find any records pertaining to that person,” Grande said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo.
“Our verification came up negative.” Grande acknowledged that “Kokoy” might be a nickname but stressed that full names are required in official documents.
This comes just a day after the PSA also reported that it found no civil records for “Mary Grace Piattos,” another name that appeared on a receipt submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit to account for its 2022 confidential expenses.
The name had raised suspicions, with some lawmakers suggesting it could be a fabricated identity, possibly inspired by a restaurant or snack brand.
“We’ve found no existing record for ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’” Grande said. “If we get more information, like the name of her parents, we could search further.”
Grande noted that many unregistered individuals tend to come from marginalized communities, and some records might be in local civil registry offices but not yet submitted to the PSA.
At a recent House hearing, an OVP disbursing officer claimed that “Piattos” is a common surname in Davao City, where Vice President Sara Duterte hails from. Duterte has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
Last month, she declined to comment on the “Mary Grace Piattos” receipt, stating she had not seen the document in question.
