Representative-elect Chel Diokno of the Akbayan party-list has strongly denied allegations that his name appeared in receipts linked to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) controversial confidential funds. On Friday, May 23, Diokno responded to a report by Abante Tonite, citing journalist Arnold Clavio, which claimed that both he and actress Marian Rivera were listed in documents submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA).
According to the report, the receipts were part of evidence gathered by the House prosecution panel in connection with the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, who previously served as education secretary. Clavio claimed that both Diokno’s and Rivera’s names, along with their signatures, were found on confidential fund receipts. One acknowledgment receipt allegedly showed a “Marian Rivera” receiving ₱100,000.
Diokno took to social media to refute the report, posting a sarcastic remark questioning the credibility of the list.
“Lahat na ba nasa listahan ng confidential funds?” he wrote with a zany face emoji.
“Pati ba naman pangalan namin ni Ma’am Marian dinamay nila! Grabe ang kawalang-hiyaan!” he added, including a clown emoji to emphasize his disbelief.
This is not the first time DepEd’s confidential fund documents have raised eyebrows. Previous investigations revealed suspicious names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Fernando Tempura,” and “Reymunda Jane Nova.” Other odd entries reportedly included names referencing popular snacks and products like “Chippy McDonald,” “Xiaome Ocho,” “Milky Secuya,” and even “Mico Harina” and “Ralph Josh Bacon.”
These strange names were cited in COA’s findings on the liquidation reports from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Duterte, which involved nearly ₱500 million in confidential funds.
In December 2019, the Philippine Statistics Authority confirmed that there were no official records of a person named “Mary Grace Piattos,” one of the supposed fund recipients.
Vice President Duterte is currently facing impeachment over the alleged misuse of these confidential funds. The House of Representatives approved her impeachment in February, and the Senate trial is scheduled to begin on June 2, coinciding with Congress’s session resumption.
Diokno’s swift and public denial adds to growing scrutiny over the authenticity and integrity of the documents tied to Duterte’s time at DepEd.