Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin denied involvement in the supposed “agreed 15% commitment” allotted for the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES).

“I deny the imputation contained in the sworn statement of DPWH Undersecretary Bernardo submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee about the delivery of “agreed 15% commitment,” Bersamin said in a statement on Thursday, September 25. “The imputation is not true.”

The OES has no involvement in any way with the budgetary allocations relevant to the DPWH, Bersamin said. Moreover, he stated that his office has “no dealings whatsoever with either Undersecretary Bernardo or the Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar.

Earlier today, Olaivar denied links to the alleged kickbacks, adding that he welcomes any investigation regarding the matter.

“To allow a fair inquiry, I will voluntarily take a leave of absence from my post and am ready to fully cooperate with any and all proceedings,” his statement read.

Bernardo, in his sworn affidavit, named several officials, senators, and lawmakers, alleging that these personalities benefited from and received kickbacks tied to the DPWH’s infrastructure projects.

“I stand by my untarnished record as a long-serving public servant, first as a career judicial officer and now as the Executive Secretary,” Bersamin’s statement ended.