By Renato Reyes Jr. / President, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
IN WHAT is another plot twist to the ongoing corruption saga, Sen. Ping Lacson, using the supposed information coming from former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Robert Bernardo, affirms that payoffs or SOPs were brought to Palace officials after projects were inserted in the 2025 budget. The storyline now goes: Some Palace officials like USec Tyrgve Olaivar and USec Adrian Bersamin managed to convince Zaldy Co that the president wanted insertions (and that the President really had nothing to do with it). The issue of insertions claimed by Zaldy Co is now apparently being confirmed but Presidential involvement is being denied.
USec Bernardo, according Lacson, disputes the claim of Zaldy Co that he delivered the SOPs to the President because it was Bernardo himself who handled the delivery of the kickbacks which amounted to 16% of P52 billion or around P8.3 billion in 10 deliveries. The deliveries were made to Olaivar and Bersamin at the Diamond Hotel in armored cars. Deliveries ranged from P800 million to P2 billion says Bernardo. According to him, one of the deliveries was supposed to be made at the time Duterte was being arrested in March 11 of this year but was delayed due to the tense political situation, causing the SOPs to accumulate to P2 billion at one time.
Kung sinuman ang nagdala ng pera, si Bernardo man o si Co (or both), ang importante ay may confirmation ngayon na may SOP o “commitments” nga na dinala at tinanggap ng mga opisyal ng Palasyo.
Prior to the delivery of kickbacks, Bernardo asked Palace officials who would facilitate the budget insertions and the releases of funds. He alleges that ES Lucas Bersamin told him that they “will take care of it”. Bernardo also claimed that while Palace officials got more than P8 billion in SOP, former DPWH secretary Manny Bonoan got P1 billion from the inserted projects. Remember that Bonoan was simply allowed by Marcos to resign after the flood control controversy broke out.
While Lacson admits that the Zaldy Co list of inserted projects was real, he claims that the P25 billion SOP for the President was not. He then says that there were indeed payoffs but only for the two undersecretaries. He tried his best to make it appear that Marcos had nothing to do with the scam. Bernardo reportedly provided a handwritten account to the President which caused the resignation of top officials on November 17.
What this means for us:
- The SOP modus is real. The systematic plunder of public funds is real, is discussed at the highest levels of government, involves billions of pesos in the budget and is a normal occurrence. Noong una, maleta lang. Ngayon naman armored cars na ang gamit para sa delivery. Bilyon-bilyong piso ang pinaghahatian nila nang ganun-ganun lang.
- It is just unbelievable to claim that the President is unaware of the racket. The scheme involves his Executive Secretary, his budget secretary, the nephew of his Executive Secretary and other personalities. That such shenanigans can happen in Malacañang without Presidential oversight is just plain incompetence or a brazen lie. It is likely the latter as no one would believe this goes only as high up as the Executive Secretary, an alter ego of the President. Lacson cannot just claim “Marcos was unaware” and that “We don’t know where the money went after.” Any reasonable person can see that such huge amounts will surely go up all the way to the President. Sino ba naman itong mga USec na rumaraket lang gamit ang pangalan ng pangulo? It doesn’t make sense.
- Former USec Bernardo should be called again to testify under oath regarding the massive kickbacks that went to Malacañang. The personalities named by both Bernardo and Zaldy Co should be investigated and prosecuted for their involvement. Marcos himself must now more than ever be investigated because there is simply no way in hell that he was “unaware” that billions of funds were moving right under his nose.
- The involvement of Marcos Jr. in the SOP modus will generate more calls for accountability and for his resignation and prosecution. It is now untenable to continue casting doubt on his involvement in the whole mess. The fear of Duterte benefiting from this should not prevent us from seeking answers and holding the highest official of the land accountable.
- The expose’ should also compel us to look at the previous administration. The modus could have been going on for some time now. Resigned DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman was previously a DBM USec during the Duterte administration. In 2019, DPWH employees pointed to Pangandaman as the official who ordered the addition of P75 billion worth of projects to the 2019 budget of the DPWH without the knowledge of the agency. Then Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., the appropriations committee chair, said it was clear from the testimonies of the witnesses that Pangandaman was the “puppet master of all these charade(s).” The insertion racket could be carried over by Pangandaman from the past administration.
Everyday we receive confirmation that the entire system is utterly bankrupt, that the top leaders are conspiring to rob us blind and that a change in the system is our only hope now. We must not lose focus. The coming days will likely see more political upheavals now that the SOP conspiracy has been confirmed to lead all the way to Malacañang. The only way to prevent a power vacuum or highjacking by elite interests is to wage relentless struggle, to organize and mobilize so that a new outcome will ensure the representation of the people and the realization of a common program for their benefit.
November 30 beckons us all to act and be heard. #