MANILA — The House prosecution panel said the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte could finally determine the identity of “Mary Grace Piattos,” one of the witnesses listed by prosecutors in the case.

In a media report, it said that speaking at a press conference following the conclusion of the Senate impeachment court’s pre-trial conference, House prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong said the public deserves to know whether the person exists.

“All of us deserve to know who is Mary Grace Piattos because confidential funds are funded by taxpayers’ money. So let’s see if someone who will really show up before the Senate impeachment court and identify himself or herself as Mary Grace Piattos. Excited tayong lahat, para once and for all, ma-establish ang identity nito (We are all excited to establish, once and for all, her identity),” Adiong said.

Mary Grace Piattos was included as a witness for Article 1 of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary.

The name first surfaced during a 2024 House inquiry into the Vice President’s confidential funds after the Commission on Audit submitted acknowledgment receipts bearing the names “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Kokoy Villamin,” and “Milky Secuya” as recipients of confidential fund disbursements.

According to Adiong, the prosecution’s position is that the confidential funds were released to fictitious individuals.

“Our allegation is that confidential funds were received by fictitious persons, and this was confirmed by the Philippine Statistic Authority, who said Mary Grace Piattos has no existing birth, marriage or death records. But the acknowledgement receipts indicate such name and signature [of Mary Grace Piattos]. Now, we are going to find out who is the person behind Mary Grace Piattos and if that person actually signed those acknowledgement receipts,” he said.

House legal spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the impeachment trial gives the listed witness the opportunity to personally appear before the Senate impeachment court if she exists.

“This is the opportunity for her, if she actually exists to come forward and say, here I am presenting myself before the impeachment court, ready to testify,” Tolosa said.

“So if she does not appear [before the Senate impeachment court], this just supports our position that she’s a made-up person,” he added.

Defense lawyer Michael Poa, meanwhile, welcomed the inclusion of Piattos in the prosecution’s witness list, saying it was within the prosecution’s prerogative and that the defense was prepared to cross-examine her testimony.

The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to begin the impeachment trial on July 6.

Tolosa said the prosecution is prepared to present its first witness on the opening day of the trial.

“The first day of the hearing for the presentation of our first witness has been scheduled on July 6. The presentation of evidence will be done Monday to Wednesday in the weeks before the SONA,” he said.

“After the SONA, it would be Tuesday to Thursday. During the pre-trial conference, the prosecution asked for 62 days to present our evidence, while the defense asked for 30 days. That would mean three months of trial, could be more, but it will still depend on several circumstances.”

“If we can present one witness per day, then that will speed it up,” Tolosa added.