Photo credit: OVP

Things just keep getting weirder.

As if “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Jay Kamote” weren’t eyebrow-raising enough, a new batch of questionable names has surfaced in the growing controversy surrounding the P612.5 million confidential funds tied to Vice President Sara Duterte’s offices. And no—these names weren’t lifted from a teleserye script or a celebrity guest list, but they might as well have been.

According to House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V, the latest names submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) include “Honeylet Camille Sy,” “Feonna Biong,” “Feonna Villegas,” “Fiona Ranitez,” “Ellen Magellan,” “Erwin Q. Ewan,” “Gary Tanada,” and “Joel Linangan.”

Sound familiar? Ortega thinks so too.

“Parang mga pangalan ng artista o galing sa pelikula,” he said, adding that this is no laughing matter. “Hindi nakakatawa ang paulit-ulit na paggamit ng mga pekeng pangalan na parang hinugot mula sa sine at showbiz.”

These names supposedly received portions of the massive P612.5 million confidential funds—P500 million from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and another P112.5 million from the Department of Education (DepEd), which VP Sara also heads. But here’s the kicker: the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has no record of these people ever being born, getting married, or even dying.

That’s a huge red flag.

For Ortega, the increasing number of highly stylized, fictional-sounding names doesn’t look like a coincidence anymore—it’s starting to feel like a deliberate pattern. He warned that if the OVP and DepEd can’t show proof these people are real, it could become a major point in the looming impeachment trial against VP Sara this June.

“Public funds ito,” Ortega emphasized. “Kung hindi nila mapatunayan na totoo ang mga pangalan na ito, sila rin ang magbibigay ng ebidensya laban sa sarili nila.”

And just in case you think this is all exaggerated, let’s rewind a bit.
Previous COA reports already flagged entries like “Chichirya,” “Xiaome Ocho” (a not-so-subtle play on Xiaomi), and the hilariously suspicious “Team Amoy Asim” and “Team Grocery.” Who could forget “Miggy Mango,” “Fernan Amuy,” “Mico Harina,” and “Sala Casim”?

At this point, the whole thing’s sounding more like a satirical Netflix series than an official government liquidation report.
But Ortega isn’t laughing. He said the OVP and DepEd have a legal obligation to document real identities behind any aliases used in confidential operations—especially under Joint Circular 2015-01, which outlines how sensitive funds should be handled. That includes sealed logs and traceable documentation.

Former COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza backed that up, explaining in interviews that aliases alone aren’t enough to justify fund releases. Without proper documentation, it could be considered misuse of public funds.

So far, though, Ortega says VP Sara has remained silent.
“She’s been asked multiple times,” he said. “Pero tikom ang bibig niya. Baka naman kasi hindi maipaliwanag ang misteryo ng Budol Gang?”

In numbers, it’s even more shocking. Out of 1,992 listed recipients from the OVP, PSA records show:

• 1,322 have no birth records

• 1,456 have no marriage records

• 1,593 have no death records

Meanwhile, over at the DepEd, 405 out of 677 supposed beneficiaries also have no birth records on file.

The question now is this: Are these names part of a massive clerical mess—or is there something much deeper going on?
One thing’s clear: Filipinos deserve answers. And if those answers don’t come soon, the “Budol Gang” might just be the most expensive mystery show this country’s ever seen.