Bersamin ‘vehemently denies’ alleged link to P100-B budget insertions

MANILA, Philippines — Resigned Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Tuesday “vehemently denied” accusations linking him to billions of pesos in insertions allegedly made illegally to the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

The refutation came after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, citing information from former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, claimed that Bersamin had allegedly signified his willingness to “take care” of P52 billion out of the P100 billion in insertions.

READ: Lacson discusses Lucas Bersamin’s alleged role in kickback scheme

“I vehemently deny the imputation against me that I said anything to Sec. Bonoan that ‘we will take care of it’ regarding the supposed facilitation of the P52 billion,” said Bersamin in a Viber message to Inquirer.

“Bernardo could not be a credible source of relevant information if his knowledge looks and sounds like at least triple hearsay,” he added.

During the Senate’s plenary deliberations on the 2026 national budget earlier in the day, Lacson said Bernardo told him that former Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar had advised him not to discuss with former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan the details of P52 billion out of the P81 billion DPWH budget.

Bernardo had previously admitted to delivering kickbacks from government projects.

The P81 billion was part of the P100 billion insertion in the 2025 national budget. Of that amount, P52 billion was handled by Bernardo himself, while the remainder was distributed to other agencies, Lacson said.

“This is what he [Bernardo] said. He said Olaivar prevented him from disclosing details about the P52 billion to Secretary Bonoan. Apparently, he was told not to mention it,” Lacson said in his interpellations.

“Then Usec. Olaivar told him [Bernardo] that Secretary Bonoan had asked Executive Secretary Bersamin several times—who would facilitate this P52 billion, which would, of course, be included in the bicameral conference, and how it would be released. Who would facilitate it?” he added.

According to Lacson, citing Bernardo’s confession, Bersamin allegedly answered, “We will take care of it.”

“They said they would be the ones to take care of how to handle the P52 billion,” the senator said.

On Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s acceptance of the voluntary resignations of Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

They stepped down out of delicadeza (propriety) after their names were implicated in the ongoing government corruption investigation.

P100-billion insertions

Meanwhile, Lacson confirmed former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co’s statement that P100 billion was inserted into the national budget, but he cleared Marcos of any involvement in the alleged kickbacks.

READ: Lacson: Marcos was misrepresented; kickbacks went to Bersamin, Olaivar

“The P100-billion list is real; it was indeed inserted in the bicameral conference. But what Zaldy Co posted on social media, that he delivered P25 billion, representing a supposed 25 percent commission for the President, I will attest is not true. That is absolutely untrue,” Lacson said in Filipino.

“I learned from Undersecretary Bernardo that there were people in Malacañang—not the president, not authorized by the president—who misrepresented him. I will name some of them: Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who name-dropped the president, making Zaldy Co believe that it was the president’s order to insert the P100 billion in the bicameral conference; now, Usec. Trygve Olaivar and other personalities,” he added.

Usec. Bersamin, a grandnephew of former Executive Secretary Bersamin, and Olaivar have already resigned from their positions. /mcm