Education Secretary Sonny Angara confirmed on Thursday that Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar has informed him of his decision to take a leave of absence.

"Undersecretary Olaivar has taken a voluntary leave of absence to allow due process to take its course without distraction to the Department," Angara said in a statement.

Olaivar is among the government officials mentioned by former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in the alleged anomalous flood control projects.

Angara assured the public that DepEd "will uphold the highest standards of integrity in all our work."

He added that the department remains focused on its primary mission: delivering quality education to every Filipino learner. "That mission continues to guide all that we do."

In a separate statement, Olaivar denied the allegations cited in Bernardo’s affidavit during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday, September 25.

"I deny the allegations made and want to state clearly that I welcome any investigation regarding this matter," Olaivar said.

"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," he added.