Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee chair Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he has no plans to convene a hearing on the alleged text exchanges between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and former PLLO chief Adrian Bersamin over kickbacks in the 2025 budget insertions.
The statement came after Rep. Edgar Erice urged the committee to investigate records of the purported messages.
Lacson countered that Bersamin’s name and the alleged texts were never mentioned in any Blue Ribbon hearing.
“It’s clearly hearsay. Why would I call a hearing on hearsay with no basis in the committee records?” he said, dismissing the claims as “triple gossip.”
In November 2025, Lacson said during budget deliberations that former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo had told him about the alleged delivery of billions in kickbacks to former DepEd undersecretary Trygve Olaivar and Adrian Bersamin.
However, when Bernardo later appeared before the Blue Ribbon Committee and faced Olaivar in a subsequent hearing, he did not mention Bersamin’s name, leaving the allegation uncorroborated in the official record.
Lacson said Bersamin may voluntarily appear before the committee if he submits a draft affidavit to be sworn in during the hearing, as other witnesses have done.
Despite downplaying the Marcos–Bersamin text issue, Lacson admitted meeting Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste in the Senate a day after Erice and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio revealed the matter. He declined to disclose details, citing Leviste’s request for confidentiality. (RRN)
