Philippine VP Duterte’s US$10 million snack-name scandal: a recipe for impeachment?
Complaints over confidential funds given to individuals seemingly using aliases derived from food brands fuel calls for transparency

Observers say the scandal reflects broader concerns over the growing use of and lack of oversight on such government expenditures.
Both offices issued substantial checks to hundreds of people, later producing as proof acknowledgement receipts (ARs) signed by individuals using names that appear to be related to famous snacks and restaurant chains.
Congressional investigators highlighted how some signatories’ purported monikers appeared to be cobbled together from these brand names. One that transfixed the public – “Mary Grace (a popular cafe) Piattos (a potato crisp brand)” – was given 70,000 pesos for medicines in December 2022. Several others, such as “Chippy (corn chips) McDonald” and “Carlos Miguel Oishi (the surname, a famous snack brand),” also raised eyebrows.