MANILA — The House prosecution panel has included “Mary Grace Piattos” in its list of witnesses for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to its pretrial brief.

The name was listed as a witness for Article I of the impeachment complaint, which centers on the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President.

House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua confirmed that “Mary Grace Piattos” was included among the prosecution’s proposed witnesses.

“Material witness po ‘yan, lalong-lalo na sa confidential funds. Kung hindi siya lumutang, ibig sabihin bogus siya. Kung lumutang naman siya, pwede namin siyang ma-cross examine,” Chua told dzBB Super Radyo.

(She is a material witness, especially on confidential funds. If she does not show up, it means she is bogus. If she shows up, we can cross-examine her.)

The name gained public attention during a 2024 House inquiry into the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. Acknowledgment receipts presented during the hearings listed “Mary Grace Piattos” as among the alleged recipients of confidential funds.

Questions regarding the existence of the individual later surfaced, with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) previously reporting that it had no birth, marriage, or death records matching the name.

Chua acknowledged that prosecutors have not established contact with any person named Mary Grace Piattos who could verify the individual’s existence, but said the inclusion of the name forms part of the prosecution’s strategy for the trial.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said locating such a witness could prove difficult if PSA records remain unchanged.

“Strategy po nila ‘yun. Strategy nila. Pero kung ayon sa PSA ay walang Mary Grace Piattos, so baka mahirapan silang makita kung sino ‘yung Mary Grace Piattos,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a briefing.

(That’s their strategy. But if according to the PSA there is no Mary Grace Piattos, it might be difficult for them to look for Mary Grace Piattos.)

“Pero nasa kanila po ‘yang style or strategy,” she added.

(But that is up to their style or strategy.)

The inclusion of the name comes as the prosecution and defense panels continue the pretrial conference for the impeachment proceedings, particularly the marking of documentary evidence.

Senate impeachment court clerk Renato Bantug earlier said a pretrial order could be issued by Monday or Tuesday next week if the evidence-marking process is completed this week.

The impeachment trial of Duterte is scheduled to begin on July 6.

Aside from the alleged misuse of confidential funds, the vice president is facing accusations involving graft and corruption, unexplained wealth, and grave threat in connection with her alleged assassination remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos.

Duterte has denied all allegations against her.