The recent resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman reflect a move made out of “delicadeza,” following incidents and Senate hearings alleging that they received kickbacks from flood-control projects, University of Santo Tomas Political Science Department Chair Dennis Coronacion said.
In an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show USAPANG OFW, Coronacion said such allegations surfaced after their names were mentioned during a Senate probe, prompting the two Cabinet officials to step down voluntarily “to give way to the investigation.”
Coronacion emphasized that the corruption controversy has already resulted in the exit of several political figures linked to the administration, including former Senate President Chiz Escudero, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and former Public Works Secretary Manuel.
”It’s like…the President’s allies are thinning out, because during the campaign they contributed greatly to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s victory. It’s just puzzling that they’re disappearing one by one,” Coronacion said.
With accusations in the probe now extending to incumbent senators including Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, and former senator Bong Revilla, the department chair noted that “more names” may still surface.
Despite the growing list of senators tagged in the anomaly, Coronacion pointed out the apparent lack of scrutiny on the House of Representatives.
“I am also looking for an explanation for why this happened. Could it be because senators are more visible to the public since there are fewer of them and they’re easier to remember, or maybe there are simply fewer who are liable or guilty in the House of Representatives? But I doubt that, because this is systemic corruption, it has something to do with the national budget,” he said.
Coronacion also acknowledged the allegation of dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways engineer Bryce Hernandez that infrastructure projects were substandard, noting that the kickback controversy may represent only “a tip of the iceberg” with other agencies yet to be fully scrutinized.