‘Team Amoy Asim’ joins list of questionable confidential funds receipt

Metro Manila, Philippines - The list of suspicious names linked to Vice President Sara Duterte’s controversial P612.5 million confidential funds continues to grow, with lawmakers now uncovering another batch they dubbed “Team Amoy Asim.”

House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V revealed on Sunday that new names—“Amoy Liu,” “Fernan Amuy,” and “Joug De Asim”—were flagged among the supposed fund recipients submitted by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to the Commission on Audit (COA).

This latest revelation follows earlier findings of bizarre names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Renan Piatos,” “Pia Piatos-Lim,” “Xiaome Ocho,” “Jay Kamote,” “Miggy Mango,” and five individuals all named “Dodong.” Ortega and other lawmakers suspect these names were fabricated to justify the massive confidential fund disbursements.

“Una, may chichirya, may cellphone, at may prutas. Sumunod ang ‘Dodong Gang.’ Ngayon naman, nandito na ang ‘Team Amoy Asim.’ Kung sa listahan pa lang ay maasim na ang dating ng pekeng mga pangalan, paano pa kaya sa mga transaksyon mismo?” Ortega asked in a statement.

(TRANSLATION: First, we had chips, cellphones, and fruits. Then came the ‘Dodong Gang.’ Now, we have ‘Team Amoy Asim.’ If the fake names already smell fishy on paper, imagine how rotten the actual transactions must be.)

Growing concerns over fake identities

According to Ortega, an alarming number of the listed recipients have no verifiable records with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Out of 1,992 supposed beneficiaries of OVP confidential funds, 1,322 had no birth records, 1,456 had no marriage records, and 1,593 had no death records.

Similarly, Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, noted that 405 out of the 677 individuals listed under DepEd’s confidential funds had no birth records, strongly suggesting that their identities were fabricated.

“Anong klaseng payroll ito? Lahat ng pangalan ay parang gawa-gawa lang. Imposible ang ganito kung sumusunod sa tamang proseso,” Ortega said.

(TRANSLATION: What kind of payroll is this? Every name looks made up. This would be impossible if proper procedures were followed.)

Duterte dismisses allegations

Despite mounting evidence, Vice President Duterte early last week had not provided a direct response to the allegations.

Speaking to reporters in The Hague, she cast doubt on the integrity of the investigation, saying she could not confirm if the names in the receipts were real due to concerns about the chain of evidence.

“Ah, ‘yung impeachment ba? Ito ‘yung walang kamatayang confidential funds na atake nila,” Duterte said.

(TRANSLATION: "Oh, the impeachment? It's their never-ending attack on the confidential funds.)

She further argued that she was unsure whether the documents being used in the probe were indeed submitted by her office.

However, Ortega dismissed this as another attempt to evade accountability.

“Kung maayos ang sistema, bakit parang magic na lang napunta ang pera sa mga pangalan na wala namang pagkatao?” said Ortega. “Nasaan ang dokumento? Nasaan ang sagot?”

(TRANSLATION: If the system is legit, how did the money magically end up with non-existent people? Where are the documents? Where are the answers?)

Senate Impeachment Trial and Malacañang's statement

With the Senate impeachment trial set to begin in June, Ortega called on Duterte to stop evading the issue and directly address the growing allegations of fund misuse.

“Kahit anong pagtatago ang gawin, aalingasaw at aalingasaw lahat ng mga ito,” said Ortega.

(TRANSLATION: No matter how hard they try to hide it, the stench will keep coming out.)

Malacañang also weighed in on the controversy, saying Duterte must prove that the recipients exist.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro also underscored the need for a deeper probe.

''Kung iyan naman po ay nadiskubre po, dapat rin pong mapatunayan kasi as of the moment, sasabihin pa rin po natin may presumption of regularity patungkol diyan. Pero since nakukuwestiyon nga po ito, dapat lamang pong patunayan ni VP Sara kung ang mga resibong ito ay totoo o hindi,'' she said.

(TRANSLATION: If that has been discovered, it must be proven as well. As of now, there is still a presumption of regularity. But since this is being questioned, VP Sara must prove whether these receipts are real or not.)