Erice to Senate: Probe alleged text exchange between Marcos, Adrian Bersamin

Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice has urged the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the alleged exchange of text messages between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Palace undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who has been tagged as the President’s alleged “bagman.”

According to Joseph Morong’s Thursday report on “24 Oras,” ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio shared what he claimed were text messages between Marcos and Bersamin.

Tinio alleged that Bersamin acted as a bagman for the President in connection with supposed kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.

“Bersamin: ‘Complete na po ang 7.122 delivery sa akin. Tapusin ko po computation today.’ That was March 2. From July 10, 2025, ito nga yung nagpapaabot si Bersamin na meron pong cash delivery [na] P2 billion  na dadalhin sa Narra Residence, at ang sabi naman ng Pangulo, ‘sasabihan ko si John Baris’,” Tinio said.

(Bersamin on March 2 told Marcos that the 7.122 delivery is complete and that he would finish the computation today. From July 10, 2025, Bersamin said there was a P2 billion cash delivery to Narra Residence, to which the President replied, ‘I will tell John Baris’.)

Tinio and Erice said the messages were obtained from Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste.

Aside from the alleged P2 billion delivery, Erice said Bersamin supposedly maintained a ledger of funds received over the past year, including during the campaign period of the President’s Alyansa slate.

Erice urged the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the incident.

“Well, siguro dapat imbestigahan kasi yung details medyo talagang mahirap. It's so detailed na meron din mga conversations na hindi naman tungkol sa pera. Yung iba parang tungkol sa mga national issues. pwede ba yung tayuan nyo na parang as a Presidente talaga yung kausap or hindi? Ay, siyempre hindi. It would take, siyempre, investigation,” Erice said.

(Maybe, this should be investigated because the details are complex. There are even details not related to money and talks about national issues. We cannot immediately conclude that it was really the President’s number. It would take an investigation.)

However, Erice questioned why Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure did not invite Bersamin even after naming him during their investigation.

GMA Integrated News is seeking comment from Lacson.

Erice also asked why the text message surfaced only after the House of Representatives dismissed the impeachment complaints against the President.

When he asked Leviste about it, the latter said he was hesitant because they were going against powerful people and even consulted a bishop, who said not to release it.

GMA Integrated News sought comment from Leviste, but the lawmaker referred to his Facebook post containing the statements of Erice and Tinio.

GMA Integrated News is also seeking comments from Malacañang, but it earlier denied the allegations against President Marcos, saying there is no truth to the accusations. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News