Sen. Tito Sotto had this statement about aliases
Senator-judge Vicente Tito Sotto III clarified the legal difference between an alias and a fictitious name on the 20th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Under Republic Act No. 6085, the law restricts people from using names other than their registered names, only allowing pseudonyms or aliases for creative or entertainment fields like literature, cinema, and television.
In line with this, Sotto explained that an alternate name is legally considered an alias only if it belongs to an actual, living individual, based on the article from The Manila Times.
“Just for the record, for the public and for us, the general rule that she mentioned is Republic Act 6085, regulating the use of aliases, which only allowed in the Philippines only for pseudonyms solely for literary, cinema, television and other entertainment purposes,” the actor-politician said.
The Senator-judge also stressed that a fictitious name is different from an alias.
“Therefore, if there is a person behind the alias, then it is an alias. If there is no person behind the name, it is a fictitious name or a fake name,” he stressed.
Sen. Tito Sotto issued the clarification after the House prosecution panel uncovered questionable acknowledgment receipts for Duterte’s confidential funds.
The receipts listed highly unusual names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Andy Lim,” “Shane Ngitngit,” and “Xuniso P. Belat.”
To recall, Senator-judge Robin Padilla defended the use of unrecognized or unusual names in confidential fund receipts by arguing that Filipino historical heroes widely used aliases during times of war and underground operations.
He argued that aliases are a valid tool for confidentiality. Padilla even cited historical pseudonyms used by patriots against foreign colonizers, including Dimasalang (Jose Rizal). The “Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema” also stressed that even the NPA used aliases.
