Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17877273198501787727316647.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Flowers adorn the foot of the Rizal Monument as people spend time in Luneta park on Independence day in Manila on June 12, 2024. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senator-judge Robin Padilla on Wednesday told the Senate impeachment court that the use of aliases is necessary &quot;in war&quot; as he cited examples set by figures of the Philippine revolution.</p><p>Padilla, during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, asked prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia if she is aware that the country&#x27;s heroes used aliases in the revolution against Spanish colonialism.</p><p>The question relates to the names used in acknowledgement receipts the OVP submitted to the Commission on Audit that the prosecution presented before the court.</p><p>Among those name  are “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Renan Piattos,” as well as Filipino words and phrases such as “Andy Lim&quot; and &quot;Xuniso P. Belat.&quot;</p><p>The ARs also bear <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/11/another-piatos-politicians-surnames-emerge-in-ovp-confidential-fund-receipts-1227">surnames similar to some politicians</a>, including a “Clarisse Hontiveros,” “Beth Revilla,” “Jose Diokno Jr.,” and two recipients with the surname “Lapid.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/luistro-duterte-camp-must-explain-recipients-of-confidential-funds-despite-alias-issue-1127">Luistro: Duterte camp must explain recipients of confidential funds despite alias issue</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>ANTI-ALIAS LAW</strong></div><p>Divinagracia, citing the Anti-Alias Law, stressed that the use of alias is allowed only if the individual&#x27;s real name was disclosed. </p><p>She added that the circumstances the revolutionaries faced when the Philippines was a colony were different from the context of confidential funds, used for operations concerning national security. </p><p>Revolutionary figures like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini used pseudonyms and code names to hide from Spanish authorities. The names on the acknowledgement receipts are supposedly informants for the Philippine government.</p><p>Padilla argued: “Wala po ba tayong gyera sa NPA (New People’s Army)? Ang NPA po merong mga alias.”</p><p>(Are we not at war with the NPA? The NPA uses aliases.)</p><p>Divinagracia maintained that “internal conflict is different from war.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NON-ISSUE&#x27;</strong></div><p>The counsel for the prosecutors stressed: “Whether the use of alias is allowed or not, and whether it’s necessary or not, that is a non-issue because that was never raised by the [defense].”</p><p>But Padilla insisted the supposed aliases are not a non-issue since the prosecution has presented the odd names.</p><p>The senator-judge further said former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. also used the alias “Marcial Bonifacio.”</p><p>Sen. Bam Aquino, Ninoy&#x27;s nephew, confirmed that the late opposition leader used an alias to be able to return to the Philippines from self-exile in Boston, but noted: “Wala naman ho siyang confidential funds. Wala naman siya sa mga AR na confidential funds.”</p><p>(He had no confidential funds. He was not in the ARs of confidential funds.) </p><p>Aquino also said that the prosecution does not claim aliases were used in the ARs, and that only OVP staff member Gina Acosta said she believes the supposed recipient names were aliases due to the transactions being “confidential in nature.”</p><p>The Joint Circular 2015-01, which governs the use of confidential and intelligence funds, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/5/coa-use-of-aliases-in-confidential-fund-receipts-neither-allowed-nor-prohibited-1118">does not prohibit </a>the use of aliases and provides no template for acknowledgment receipts. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/24/lito-lapid-questions-existence-of-ovp-fund-recipients-with-his-surname-1626">Lito Lapid questions existence of OVP fund recipients with his surname</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/foqMBjPyZe8?si=AQjZUmraoa9_qlMV" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Senator-judge Robin Padilla on Wednesday told the Senate impeachment court that the use of aliases is necessary "in war" as he cited examples set by figures of the Philippine revolution.</p>

Senator-judge Robin Padilla on Wednesday told the Senate impeachment court that the use of aliases is necessary "in war" as he cited examples set by figures of the Philippine revolution.

Padilla likens 'Mary Grace Piattos', other OVP fund recipients to national heroes

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Padilla likens 'Mary Grace Piattos', other OVP fund recipients to national heroes

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 26, 2026 03:10 PM PHT

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Updated August 26, 2026 03:20 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

impeachment trial

confidential funds

alias

Robin Padilla

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