“Mary Grace Piattos”, the biggest recipient of confidential funds from Vice President Sara Duterte’s office, NO Birth, Marriage, or Death record, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. Today, we also learned that 1,332 recipients of confidential funds out of 1,992 has NO Record of Birth as well, according to PSA.

The congress has to decide now what to do with these evidences of misuse or plunder of confidential funds. What I find interesting is, some lawmakers are suggesting that there is no time for a remedy or impeachment. Even the current President suggested that it will not help a single filipino by making the vice president accountable for her actions. This is equivalent to a family discovering they are being looted and the looters are still in the house. And the father's response is, "it's late in the night and we should all go back to sleep". I find it astonishing that a remedy is not necessary because there is no time. At the end of the day, it is the filipino people that will suffer from any inaction with regards to making the vice president accountable for her actions. It is sad to know that political clans are simply taking turns in looting the filipino people of their tax money.

Atty. Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President, was cited in contempt and ordered detained by a House panel on Wednesday (November 20) for "undue interference" over a letter requesting the Commission on Audit to not comply with the subpoena issued by the committee. 

Confronted with the letter, Lopez explained to the House Committee on Public Order and Safety that it was simply a "respectful request" to the COA, and that she had "no intention to demand or order them to do something they didn't want to do." Despite Lopez's apology and plea for the contempt citation to be reconsidered, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro did not withdraw her motion. 

1. Empowerment of Citizens: Transparency in government operations empowers citizens by granting them access to information about how decisions are made and how public funds are utilized. When citizens understand the inner workings of their government, they can better assess its performance and hold officials accountable. This empowered citizenry is less likely to tolerate corruption and fraud, as they can actively participate in governance through informed voting and advocacy.

2. Enhanced Trust in Institutions: Trust is the cornerstone of any democratic society. When government actions and decisions are transparent, citizens are more likely to trust their institutions. This trust leads to greater civic engagement and cooperation between the government and the populace. A transparent government signals to its citizens that it has nothing to hide, fostering a culture of integrity and accountability.