By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman is continuing to gather and examine evidence against former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and two other officials implicated by a state witness in an alleged kickback scheme involving infrastructure projects under the 2025 national budget.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Friday that the case against Bersamin, his grandnephew and former Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, and former Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar remains under fact-finding.
“They are included in the second case, which the Ombudsman already described as a grand conspiracy to defraud the 2025 budget,” Clavano said during a press conference.
He said investigators were still “sifting through the facts and the documents” submitted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Department of Public Works and Highways as they work to establish the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
The three were previously tagged in the alleged scheme by former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo during a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing.
Bernardo alleged that he met with Olaivar in 2024 to discuss unprogrammed appropriations that were supposedly intended for the Office of the Executive Secretary.
He further claimed that Olaivar sought a 15-percent share from P2.85 billion worth of infrastructure projects allegedly allocated for Bersamin’s office.
Bersamin has denied the accusation and challenged those linking him to the alleged irregularities to pursue the matter through proper legal proceedings.
Clavano, however, said the Ombudsman is taking Bernardo’s allegations seriously because of his status as a state witness and his cooperation with investigators.
“We do find him credible, and his statements are being used as leads to point us in the right direction,” Clavano said.
He stressed, however, that Bernardo’s statements alone would not be enough to establish liability.
The allegations must still be corroborated by independent documentary and other evidence before the Ombudsman can determine whether formal charges are warranted.
The younger Bersamin was also separately identified by resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co as among those with whom he communicated in connection with alleged instructions to insert around P100 billion worth of DPWH projects into the 2025 national budget.
Co claimed that the alleged instructions came from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez—claims that have likewise been the subject of scrutiny and denials.
For now, the Ombudsman has not announced any formal charges against the three officials. The investigation remains focused on validating the allegations, tracing the flow of documents and funds, and determining whether the evidence supports claims of a broader conspiracy involving the 2025 budget.
ia/xf
