House leaders dismissed the alleged threat to Vice President Sara Duterte’s life as fictitious, likening it to the names “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Kokoy Villamin” on acknowledgment receipts (ARs) submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) for disbursing and liquidating confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre condemned Duterte’s assassination claims, citing statements from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Col. Francel Padilla, and Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, both of whom confirmed there were no credible threats against the Vice President.
“The supposed assassination threats against Vice President Duterte are fake—completely unfounded and baseless,” Acidre said.
“They are as fabricated as the names ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and ‘Kokoy Villamin,’ which were used to justify the alleged misuse of confidential funds,” he added.
Acidre recalled Duterte’s comments during an online press conference, where she claimed that, if she met an untimely death, she had hired a hitman to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Lisa Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“If there were any threats, the only one we’ve heard making them is the Vice President herself,” Acidre remarked.
Acidre further drew parallels between the alleged threats against Duterte and the non-existent individuals listed in the ARs. The names Piattos and Villamin appeared in documents submitted to the COA to facilitate the disbursement of confidential funds for the Vice President’s office. Upon investigation, the Philippine Statistics Authority confirmed that neither Piattos nor Villamin existed in its records.
Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman also rejected the claims of a threat against Duterte, calling them baseless and suggesting they were an attempt to gain public sympathy.
“Honestly, wala akong naramdaman o na-perceive na pagbabanta sa buhay ng ating Bise Presidente,” Roman said.
“Looking at the videos of her threats against the President and her claim na siya ang pinagbabantaan ng buhay, parang ang interpretation ko doon ay parang it’s a call for help,” she explained.
“Maybe naghahanap siya ng simpatiya mula sa kanyang mga supporters. For me, it’s non-existent. Hindi ako naniniwalang may pagbabanta talaga sa buhay ni VP Sara,” she added.
Acidre reiterated that while the Vice President claimed to have documented threats against her life, law enforcement agencies had not received any such evidence.
“If we listen to various reports from our law enforcement agencies—whether military or police—there is no proof of any attempts or threats to the life and safety of our Vice President,” Acidre emphasized.
He also urged the Vice President to provide concrete evidence to support her claims, especially since she said the alleged threat to her life prompted her to issue her own threats against Philippine leaders.
“I hope the Vice President considered that before making such statements, they should present evidence that has been examined and confirmed by our police and military,” Acidre concluded.