Palace on 2 execs linked to kickbacks: We need to check evidence first

Malacañang on Wednesday said it wants to check the evidence first before making comments on the alleged involvement of two Palace officials in the supposed kickbacks of at least P52 billion from alleged fund insertions in the 2025 national budget.

“Sa ngayon wala po tayong masasabi (At the moment we cannot comment),” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview. 

“Kailangan po natin makita 'yung ebidensya. Kailangan nating malaman sino ang maaaring tumestigo rito. So hayaan po natin kung magkakaroon ng malawakang pag-iimbestiga rito. Mas gugustuhin po 'yan ng Pangulo,” she added.

(We need to see the evidence. We need to know who can testify here. So let’s see if there is a comprehensive investigation here. The President would prefer that.)

On Tuesday, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson tagged two government undersecretaries who allegedly invoked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s name to extract the supposed kickbacks. 

In his interpellation during Senate deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget, Lacson named the officials as Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin.

According to him, the two allegedly worked “like a syndicate” to insert up to P100 billion in the budget, from which they derived the kickbacks.

Before this, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman have resigned from their posts after their names were mentioned in the flood control projects controversy.

Former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co linked Pangandaman to budget issue this November while former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto also dragged Bersamin into the probe last September. 

Bersamin and Pangandaman have denied the allegations. 

Castro called “propaganda” the efforts of linking Marcos to supposed corruption, noting it was the President who first opened the investigation into anomalous flood control projects. 

“Propaganda ito. Kitang-kita mo naman dahil ikaw ang mismo ang nagpapaimbestiga at alam mo ikaw ang may kasalanan, bubuksan mo pa ba ito?” she said. 

(This is propaganda. You can see it clearly because you yourself are the one who is investigating, and if you know you are the one responsible, are you still going to open the probe?)

“Hindi po natatakot ang Pangulo dito. Alam niya po ang kaniyang ginagawa,” she added. 

(The President is not afraid of this. He knows what he is doing.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News