Senator-sounding names surface in ovp fund scandal

La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega, who has been steadily releasing details from what he describes as a “bogus web of fund recipients,” revealed on Thursday that at least seven new signatories on the OVP’s acknowledgment receipts bear names that closely resemble those of sitting senators.

Among them: “Beth Revilla,” “Janice Marie Revilla,” “Diane Maple Lapid,” “John A. Lapid Jr.,” “Clarisse Hontiveros,” “Kristine Applegate Estrada,” and “Denise Tanya Escudero.”

In a biting statement, Ortega said, “These irregularities are too glaring to ignore—these names from supposed Budol Gang call for a deeper look.”

The congressman, who serves as a deputy majority leader in the House, added that the use of such names, many of them playfully or absurdly derivative, suggests a systemic attempt to conceal how confidential funds were disbursed under Duterte’s office.

The timing is difficult to ignore: the Senate — composed of 24 members, including names uncannily similar to those in the list — will soon judge whether Duterte should be removed from office for alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds. The appearance of these “senator-sounding” names in questionable financial records adds a surreal twist to an already politically charged trial.

This is not the first time Ortega has flagged eyebrow-raising entries tied to the OVP’s confidential funds. The initial red flag came last year with the discovery of a signatory named “Mary Grace Piattos” — a name that curiously combines a well-known local café and a popular potato chip brand. At the time, lawmakers expressed concern that the OVP may have fabricated beneficiaries to justify sensitive expenditures.

Ortega revisited that theme Thursday, poking fun at another new name that has surfaced: “Cannor Adrian Contis.” “Hindi lang pala si Mary Grace Piattos ang may kapangalan na café-restaurant, pati pala Contis. Kapag ba may confidential funds ang opisina mo, may sweet tooth ka din?,” he said.

He also pointed out the emergence of two names bearing the surname “Solon” — Kris Solon and Paul M. Solon — a reference to Sarangani Rep. Steve Chiongbian Solon. “Pambihira, dinadamay pati mga apelyido ng ating esteemed senators. Ganyan po kagarapal ang listahan ng supposed beneficiaries ng OVP confidential funds,” Ortega said

What alarms investigators, according to Ortega, is not merely the humor embedded in the names but the pattern itself. The repetition, the apparent whimsy, and the absence of real-world records are, he argued, reason enough to probe deeper.

“Kung paulit-ulit na gumamit ang OVP ng fictitious names, meron silang obligasyong patunayan na may tunay na tao sa likod ng bawat pangalan. At kung wala, mismong listahan ang magiging ebidensya ng katiwalian sa Senado,” he added.

The names Ortega has previously disclosed also paint a curious portrait of alleged ghost recipients: Honeylet Camille Sy, Feonna Biong, Feonna Villegas, Joel Linangan, Fiona Ranitez, Erwin Q. Ewan, Ellen Magellan, Gary Tanada, Beverly Claire Pampano, Mico Harina, Ralph Josh Bacon, Patty Ting, Sala Casim, Amoy Liu, Fernan Amuy, Joug De Asim, and Xiaome Ocho.

According to Ortega, none of the names recently brought to light appear in the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) database of birth, marriage, or death records. That absence strengthens suspicions that the OVP may have invented individuals on paper to account for the transfer of public funds.