Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758776547794cropped-photo-collage.png (5) (1).png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">DepEd Usec.  Trygve Olaivar and former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (4th UPDATE)</strong> — Aside from incumbent and former lawmakers, ex-Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo on Thursday also named officials from the executive as recipients of kickbacks from government projects. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/ex-dpwh-exec-roberto-bernardo-admits-wrongdoing-in-flood-control-fiasco-0916">Ex-DPWH exec Roberto Bernardo tags Escudero, Co, Revilla, Binay in kickbacks</a></div><p>Bernardo in his affidavit said that &quot;Usec. Trygve Olaivar of DepEd,&quot; who &quot;used to work&quot; for former senators Bong Revilla and Sonny Angara, demanded kickbacks in infrastructure projects, &quot;supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XKNVP-gcn78?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>&quot;Sometime 2024, Usec. Olaivar personally called me for a meeting to discuss about Unprogrammed Appropriations supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary. In the said meeting, he requested me to submit a list of projects,&quot; Bernardo said.</p><p>Olaivar allegedly asked 15 percent of P2.85 billion worth of DPWH projects.</p><p>&quot;Engr. [Henry] Alcantara from time to time would collect and deliver the agreed 15 percent commitment to me which I delivered or cause to be delivered to Usec. Olaivar in Magallanes, Makati and other places,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>OLAIVAR DENIAL, LEAVE OF ABSENCE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In a statement, Olaivar denied Bernardo&#x27;s accusation.</p><p>&quot;I deny the allegations made and want to state clearly that I welcome any investigation regarding this 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,&quot; he said.</p><p>According to the DepEd website, Olaivar joined the agency on August 2, 2024 as undersecretary. </p><p>DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara announced Thursday afternoon that Olaivar will take a leave of absence &quot;to allow due process to take its course without distraction to the Department.&quot; </p><p>&quot;I assure the public that the Department of Education upholds the highest standards of integrity in all our work,&quot; Angara said in a statement. &quot;DepEd remains firmly focused on its foremost duty: delivering quality education to every Filipino learner. That mission continues to guide all that we do.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BERSAMIN REACTS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin denied the &quot;imputation&quot; of Bernardo&#x27;s sworn statement at the Senate.</p><p>While Bernardo did not name Bersamin, he said that Olaivar said the kickback he was asking was intended for the OES. </p><p>&quot;In the first place, the OES has no involvement in any way with budgetary allocations relevant to the DPWH. In the second place, the OES has no dealings whatsoever with either Undersecretary Bernardo or DepEd Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar,&quot; Bersamin said.</p><p>&quot;I stand by my untarnished record as a long-serving public servant, first as a career judicial officer and now as the Executive Secretary,&quot; he added. <strong></strong></p><div><strong>— With reports from Harlene Delgado and Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><em></em><strong></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KZXNvO3-gws?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sl1daHU6e7M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

DepEd exec tagged in DPWH kickback scheme; official denies accusation

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DepEd exec tagged in DPWH kickback scheme; official denies accusation

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 25, 2025 09:54 AM PHT

|

Updated Sep 25, 2025 04:30 PM PHT

Read More:

DPWH

kickbacks

flood control

politics

Nancy Binay

Bong Revilla

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