The Bersamin Denial: Untarnished or Just Uncaught?

A ₱427.5M Shadow Looms Over the Executive Secretary’s Halo

By Louis ‘Barok’ C. Biraogo+- September 28, 2025

IN A drama twist worthy of a Quiapo black-market script, Roberto Bernardo’s bombshell affidavit claims Lucas Bersamin’s palace crew pocketed ₱427.5 million in DPWH kickbacks, turning flood barriers into cash carriers (Inquirer affidavit PDF). The former DPWH Undersecretary’s sworn tale, dropped like a grenade at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, alleges a 15% convenience fee was skimmed from ₱2.85 billion in infrastructure pork, funneled straight to the Office of the Executive Secretary (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025). Because nothing screams public service like a Malacañang money grab. Grab your popcorn—and a subpoena.

The Cast of Characters: A Tragedy (or Farce?) in Three Acts

Picture a Senate hearing room, thick with the stench of stale coffee and desperation, where three players strut onto the stage of this corruption kabuki:

Lucas “Untarnished” Bersamin, Executive Secretary, whose long-serving public servant halo now dangles by a thread thinner than a ghost project’s as-built drawing. A former Chief Justice turned Malacañang maestro, he’s accused of pocketing cash his office supposedly never touched (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025).
Roberto “Rat-in-Chief” Bernardo, ex-DPWH Undersecretary, suddenly sprouting a conscience—or at least a notary’s stamp—in a 12-page affidavit (Inquirer affidavit PDF). Once a cog in the flood-prone highway machine, he’s now spilling tea about 20-20-20-40 kickback schemes and cash drops to senators like they’re GrabFood orders.
Trygve “Bagman? What Bagman?” Olaivar, DepEd Undersecretary, cast as the alleged middleman who, per Bernardo, quipped “Boss, kinse yan” while orchestrating cash deliveries in Magallanes, Makati, and other Metro Manila hideouts (Affidavit p.6). On leave and denying faster than a student caught cribbing the UPCAT, is he the fall guy or just collateral damage?

The He-Said/He-Said Smackdown

For Bersamin: Shredding Bernardo’s Cred

Oh, please, spare us the theatrics. Bernardo, knee-deep in his own flood of DPWH anomalies, now plays the saint? His affidavit reads like a choose-your-own-adventure in deflection: “I didn’t touch the 20-20-20-40 split, but here’s everyone else who did” (Affidavit pp.2–3). Self-serving rat fleeing a sinking ship? Check. Where’s the paper trail, Roberto? No bank slips, no CCTV of you schlepping cash to Makati penthouses—just your word, sworn on a Bible that’s seen more perjury than a graft trial (Affidavit pp.6–7). That 15% commitment to the OES? Laughable. Bersamin’s right: his office doesn’t touch DPWH budgets (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025). It’s like accusing the Palace janitor of rigging the PCSO. Denials are cheap, but convictions need receipts, not regrets. Bernardo’s tale has the evidentiary heft of a soggy lumpia wrapper.

Against Bersamin: The Skeptic’s Corner

Hold the ovation, Lucas—welcome to the shadowland of informal influence, where org charts are as relevant as a 90s pager. Is it really so far-fetched that a battle-scarred USec like Bernardo would spin a yarn this detailed—complete with project lists, SARO claims, and Magallanes drop spots—while under oath and begging for witness protection (Affidavit p.1)? Perjury’s a felony, not a Friday whim. And let’s talk context: the DPWH probe’s a circus of senators and kickbacks, with Bernardo naming Escudero, Revilla, and Binay like he’s reading from a pork barrel guest list (Affidavit pp.3–6). If Olaivar’s your refutation (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025), that’s like the getaway driver swearing he was just carpooling. Plausible? Sure. Convincing? Not even close. What’s hiding in those Bulacan ledgers? Or is unprogrammed appropriations just code for programmed for pals?

The Legal Minefield: Laws Everyone Will Pretend to Understand

Cue the statute parade, where every pundit becomes a legal scholar overnight. RA 3019, the Anti-Graft Act, salivates over solicitation or acceptance of benefits, but proving Bersamin personally pocketed anything requires a smoking gun bigger than his not true presser (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025). No nexus, no graft—simple as that. Then there’s RA 7080, Plunder’s big stick, which demands a pattern of corruption and a monetary threshold. One ₱427.5 million cash drop (that’s 15% of ₱2.85 billion, math fans) is a scandal; a series is a career-ender.

Don’t forget RA 9184, the Procurement Act, where single bids and ghost projects scream irregularity—but the Supreme Court’s a stickler: procurement fouls aren’t automatic graft without corrupt intent (Estrada v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 148560, 2001). Bernardo’s affidavit, with its Annex B project lists totaling ₱2.85 billion, is a juicy start (Affidavit Annex B). But without a matching SARO from DBM or a second witness beyond Engr. Alcantara’s shadow, it’s political theater, not a conviction. Investigators, listen up: Plunder needs a pattern, not a PowerPoint. And the High Court loves corroboration—Bernardo’s word alone is as flimsy as a ghost story at a seance.

The Motive Monger’s Corner: Why Would Bernardo Do This?

Why’s Bernardo singing like a canary in a coal mine? Let’s rank his motives, most cynical to least:

Plea Bargain Payday: He’s racing to the Ombudsman to trade big names for a lighter rap sheet. That witness protection plea in his affidavit’s first paragraph? Classic save-my-skin move (Affidavit p.1).
Political Hit Job: Bersamin’s got enemies sharper than a bolo. With Blue Ribbon grilling DPWH, Bernardo could be the torpedo from a rival faction, timed to splatter mud (Affidavit pp.3–6).
Whistleblowing Whimsy: A conscience at last? In Manila’s muck, that’s as likely as a senator declaring assets unprompted. Still, a Hail Mary’s possible—especially with perjury’s shadow looming.

Motives mix like sinigang broth; Bernardo’s serving a full bowl.

The Verdict (For Now) & Recommendations

Verdict: This is the appetizer in a buffet of bunkum—damning in headlines, flimsy in evidence. Bernardo’s affidavit is a roadmap to ruin, with project lists and Magallanes drop spots (Affidavit pp.6–7), but without a SARO match, bank trails, or CCTV, it’s just a loud he said against Bersamin and Olaivar’s louder not true (PNA, 25 Sept. 2025). The untarnished record holds—for now. But one more thread from this DPWH web, and the whole sweater unravels.

To the Public: Buckle up, kababayan. This marathon of denials and procedural pirouettes will drag longer than a pork barrel trial. If evidence drops, it’s fireworks; if not, it’s just noise.

To Investigators: Subpoena everything not nailed down. DBM SAROs for that ₱2.85 billion (Affidavit Annex B), Alcantara’s bank records, Makati CCTV, Olaivar’s call logs. The truth’s not in the Senate—it’s in the metadata, vouchers, and ghost-project inspections. Ink Bernardo’s cooperation deal, but don’t bet the farm on one rat.

To Bersamin: Your halo’s in the court of public opinion. A libel suit against Bernardo? Bold, like suing the town crier for bad news. Or is silence smarter, letting the hounds bay while you polish that untarnished sheen? Tick-tock, Lucas—the Blue Ribbon’s just warming up.

Key Citations

Bernardo, Roberto. Sworn Statement to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25 Sept. 2025, www.inquirer.net. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.
Gita-Carlos, Ruth Abbey. “Bersamin Denies Receiving Kickbacks from DPWH Infra Projects.” Philippine News Agency, 25 Sept. 2025, www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1259573. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.
Republic Act No. 3019: Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. LawPhil Project, www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1960/ra_3019_1960.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.
Republic Act No. 7080: An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder. LawPhil Project, www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1991/ra_7080_1991.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.
Republic Act No. 9184: Government Procurement Reform Act. LawPhil Project, www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2003/ra_9184_2003.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.
Estrada v. Sandiganbayan. G.R. No. 148560, Supreme Court of the Philippines, 19 Nov. 2001, www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2001/nov2001/gr_148560_2001.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2025.