The Liberal Party (LP) pushed back against Senator Robin Padilla after the lawmaker likened the pseudonyms of Philippine national heroes to the dubious names found on acknowledgment receipts for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds.
While acknowledging that revolutionaries like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Marcelo H. del Pilar used aliases during the fight for independence, the political party emphasized that comparing wartime pseudonyms to public fund receipts is fundamentally flawed.
“Pero ang tanong lang: Nagtago ba sila sa kanilang mga alyas para makatanggap ng confidential funds? Ginamit ba nila ang kanilang mga alyas para pumirma sa acknowledgment receipts ng pondo ng bayan?” the LP remarked.
The party maintained that historic aliases were adopted for patriotic struggles rather than evading public accountability.
“Ang mga bayani ay gumamit ng mga alyas habang nakikipaglaban para sa bayan. Hindi para magtago sa pananagutan. Iyan ang malaking pagkakaiba,” the party added.
Padilla made the controversial comparison during the 19th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, arguing that aliases protect identities during sensitive operations. To justify his stance, he cited historic pseudonyms such as “Dimasalang,” “Siling Labuyo,” “Maypag-asa,” “Magtalo,” and “Leon Kilat.”
The exchange comes as the Senate impeachment court investigates the alleged misuse of confidential funds and the suspicious signatures on receipts submitted by the OVP and the Department of Education.