By Renato Reyes Jr. / President, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
AS MARCOS once asked in his vlog, “Paano tayo nagkaganito?”
In still another plot twist in the continuing corruption saga, former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Wednesday revealed that he did not resign and that he was asked to go by a person who called him up. He did not say who. He did not submit any resignation letter, only a letter expressing that he abides by the president’s prerogative to choose a new Executive Secretary. When it was announced that he had “resigned out of delicadeza” he had not even submitted his letter to the President. In the evening of that day, after he was announced to have resigned, he said he had a chance to talk to the President for around 30 minutes. The matters they discussed he said he cannot reveal and that these were covered by confidentiality. He says he even posed for a picture with the President after the meeting.
Bersamin says he has no ill feelings but was disappointed by what happened with the announcement. He affirms that his nephew, resigned USec Adrian Bersamin was a good kid (mabait na bata) and he denies any involvement in budget insertions and SOPs (standard operating procedures, euphemism for corruption).
The question on everyone’s mind is why did Bersamin have to come out to deny his resignation. Napahiya na naman ang Palasyo sa ginawa niya. What is he up to? Could he be trying to get some leverage against those who would throw him under the bus? Is Bersamin warning Marcos that he could turn on him if Malacanang goes after the former ES and his nephew? Bersamin gave a vigorous defense of his nephew Adrian, after the latter was implicated by both Zaldy Co and former DPWH Undersecretary Robert Bernardo. How far will the older Bersamin’s defense go, given the testimonies against Adrian have come from two sources already?
Malacanang is now the epicenter of the corruption mess that started with Marcos’ “Mahiya naman kayo!” speech during his State of the Nation Address. It has been confirmed that there were indeed budget insertions made upon the behest of Malacanang, and that payoffs, SOP’s or “commitments” were delivered to certain officials. Palace talking heads can’t seem to provide a coherent answer that is based on facts.
How did we get from “Mahiya naman kayo?” in Congress to having Palace officials “resign out of delicadeza” in just four months? Why did Marcos expose the flood control anomalies if the allegations of corruption will find their way back to Malacanang?
The answer may not be so simple. It could be a combination of hubris and the need to portray himself as an anti-corruption hero. It could be a desire to tighten his grip on the national budget after some officials got too greedy and got more than they should. It could also be because he knew that it was only a matter of time before the corruption stench would come out and he wanted to control the narrative. It could be a combination of all of these.
When Marcos first gave his SONA speech on flood control corruption, mentioning SOP’s, “for the boys”, budget insertions and the like, lawmakers gave him a standing ovation. It was the most surreal scene. The son of a corrupt dictator, speaking about corruption in the halls of congress, while getting a standing ovation by the same corrupt officials he was denouncing.
That was the first sign that this was going to blow up in the face of Marcos Jr himself. Those gathered in congress that day were complicit or involved in pork barrel corruption, yet they took turns applauding the anti-corruption rhetoric of the President. Marcos beamed with pride with what he had accomplished that day. He then came out with a website, “Isumbong sa Pangulo” and called on the public to report flood control anomalies.
The hubris here is that Marcos thought that the corruption probe will not reach him, even if he was the one who presided over the corrupt system, prepared the budget, signed it into law, implemented it and approved fund releases. He thought the corruption allegations would not reach him because he was the one who took the initiative to “expose corruption” – even if those involved in corruption were working directly for him.
He had sought to gain tighter control of the budget but in the process, it was exposed that insertions came from him and that he was responsible for the release of unprogrammed funds used in corrupt projects. He had sought to control the narrative but since he was primarily involved in the mess, he could only try to distance himself as revelations of payoffs to Palace officials came to light. Now that the trail of SOP’s leads to Malacanang, he can only fire his officials, and risk that they turn against him.
Mareng Winnie Monsod correctly stated in an interview, Marcos’ revelation of corruption was not a heroic act. Indeed, he simply dug his own grave, emboldened by hubris and impunity.
Marcos proved again how the corrupt system needs changing, and why he and the vice president and the political dynasties like theirs are not the solutions to the corruption plaguing our country. #
