Levitating

We will never have a dull moment while so many things hang in the air, defying gravity.

- ALEX MAGNO

After telling us Zaldy Co’s allegations have no “probative value,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson now tries to convince us that large sums of money were indeed delivered to the Palace — but not to the President.

Co’s allegations are therefore true — but only to an extent. P100 billion in insertions were indeed made — but only by impostors claiming to act on behalf of the President. Billions in kickbacks were indeed delivered — but received by underlings who kept the money for themselves.

The President, according to Lacson, was “misrepresented” in the budget insertion instructions by second tier officials. But in Zaldy Co’s version of events, the presidential instructions were reiterated by the budget secretary and then given the go-ahead by then speaker Martin Romualdez. At the very least, we are all asked to imagine the Office of the President was managed with absolute negligence.

Quoting former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Lacson claims the money was received by Adrian Bersamin and Trygve Olaivar. The younger Bersamin worked (until he abruptly resigned earlier this week) for his granduncle Lucas Bersamin at the Office of the Executive Secretary. Olaivar, an undersecretary at the DepEd, filed for a leave of absence. Bernardo himself delivered the stacks of cash.