Former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has rejected claims that he is the 'ES' referenced in the Cabral Files, linked to P8.3 billion in questionable Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects for the 2025 budget. Following recent Senate disclosures and probes into DPWH anomalies, Bersamin denied ever requesting, endorsing, or approving such allocations.
In a statement issued on December 28, Bersamin categorically denied being the 'ES' mentioned in documents from the late DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, which Rep. Leandro Leviste shared on social media on Christmas Eve. "I did not ever request, endorse, approve, or authorize any DPWH project or budget allocation," he said, adding he never instructed anyone to use his name for budget purposes.
As former executive secretary in the Marcos administration, Bersamin coordinated Cabinet actions until his departure last month amid separate P100 billion bicameral insertion allegations, which he also denied. He claimed he was instructed to step down, not resign voluntarily.
Bersamin called the Cabral Files claims baseless, pointing to DPWH budget process flaws, and urged examination of the documents to uncover manipulators. He pledged cooperation with any probes.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson noted at least five Cabinet secretaries and undersecretaries have 'allocables' worth billions in 2025 DPWH budget documents tied to Cabral, totaling around P3.5 trillion from 2023-2026. Malacañang has questioned the files' authenticity, attributing them to a staffer rather than Cabral directly.
