TWO former undersecretaries, Adrian Bersamin and Trgyve Olaivar, are now facing criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The charges stem from allegations of their involvement in receiving kickbacks from flood control deals and purported budget insertions made on behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. A coalition of anti-corruption advocates, including former lawmakers Teddy Casiño and France Castro, filed the complaints on Monday, March 30.
The complainants assert that Bersamin and Olaivar should be held accountable for graft and corruption, as well as for violating the code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials.
The timing of these complaints, filed just before the closure of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure on March 31, is significant. Casiño noted that the commission had not yet seen high-ranking officials face consequences, suggesting a need for more robust accountability mechanisms. The complainants argue that the recent resignations of Bersamin and Olaivar should not impede the Ombudsman’s investigation, as these resignations may have been a tactic to evade legal accountability.
Central to the complaints are revelations from state witness Roberto Bernardo, a former public works undersecretary, and fugitive lawmaker Zaldy Co. They have implicated President Marcos Jr. in an alleged ₱100 billion budget insertion in the 2025 budget. Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson, who chairs the blue ribbon panel, had previously identified Bersamin as allegedly misrepresenting the President to secure this budget insertion. Lacson had also stated that billions of pesos in kickbacks, reportedly delivered in ten tranches, were channeled to Bersamin and Olaivar by a former DPWH undersecretary.
The complaint further alleges a “multibillion-peso ‘commitment-insertion-kickback’ scam” operating at the highest levels of the Marcos administration.
The complaint suggests that President Marcos ordered budgetary insertions, which operators then facilitated and funded, delivering billions in kickbacks intended for him. The complaint describes Bersamin as a “runner, bagman, and ‘disbursing officer’ of kickbacks” who directly reported to the President.
This case adds to ongoing investigations, as the Ombudsman’s office had previously announced in November 2025 that it was looking into the two former undersecretaries for possible conspiracy to commit plunder. Groups like Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot are urging the government to expedite these investigations to recover stolen funds amidst the current economic challenges.
