E-Paper
Sign In
President Marcos still haunted by corruption as ‘messages’ showing he received money surface
An activist lawmaker claimed he had seen communications that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally knew and facilitated kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects
- PUBLISHED: Thu 12 Feb 2026, 12:00 PM
The two impeachment complaints against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr are dead, but the ghost of corruption scandal still haunts him as ‘text messages’ showing he received money have surfaced.
At least three legislators claim to have seen copies of communications between Marcos Jr. and his alleged bagmen about billions of pesos of kickbacks from fraudulent public works budgets the president allegedly ordered himself.
Recommended For You
ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio said he and fellow endorsers of the impeachment against the president have proof in abundance, but the petition was unceremoniously shot down in the House of Representatives.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels
Tinio pointed out that high-ranking public works official, Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, has revealed it was Marcos himself who ordered the insertion of an additional P100 billion (Dh6.33 billion) in the 2024 national budget.
Of the amount, Bernardo said he personally handled more than half of the amount (P52) billion, from which he gave P8 billion (Dh506 million) to Marcos.
Marcos allegedly replied ‘ok’
Tinio said former Presidential Legislative Liaison undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, son of former executive secretary Lucas Bersamin, acted as one of Marcos’ bagmen who, on March 24, 2025, informed Marcos of the delivery of P8 billion kickback, to which Marcos reportedly acknowledged “Ok.”
In their communication, Bersamin allegedly added in a mix of Filipino and English: "The [P]7.122 [billion] delivery to me is complete, sir…I will finish the computation today.”
Tinio said the communication between Marcos and Bersamin went on until July of last year, mere days before Marcos berated Congress over their corruption of flood control projects.
On July 10, 2025, the younger Bersamin again informed Marcos of another P2 billion (Dh126.6 million) kickback delivery at a residence in a posh Manila residential area, to which the president allegedly replied, “I will inform Jun Baris,” his onetime head of security.
Tinio said he saw copies of the communication that were originally held by fellow legislator Leandro Leviste.
House of Representatives senior deputy minority leader Edgardo Erice has confirmed to journalists that he himself saw copies of the alleged communication between Marcos and his aides regarding kickbacks.
‘The President knew’
The opposition lawmakers said the latest information bolsters earlier testimonies by Bernardo as well as revelations by former legislator and erstwhile Marcos ally Elizalde Co about Marcos’ receipt of billions in kickbacks.
Tinio concluded: “In short, there is strong evidence supporting the allegation that the President knew — and he knew it very well — about the corruption in flood control projects. He directly took part in it and received kickbacks from it.”
The two impeachment complaints against Marcos were dismissed on Tuesday, with 284 lawmakers in favour and only eight against. Malacañang said Marcos Jr. was satisfied with the dismissal and welcomed the support of his allies in Congress.
The dismissal, however, disappointed anti-corruption groups, saying the complaints were hastily dismissed by an institution that is accused of corruption itself.
“Impeachment is the only constitutional mechanism to hold top officials to account. If complaints are dismissed outright as mere allegations, then accountability becomes a myth,” former representative and complainant Neri Colmenares underscored.