Thanks, no thanks: Bersamin unhappy with Palace’s ‘graceful exit’ spiel

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. apparently wanted to give Lucas Bersamin a graceful exit when Malacañang announced that Marcos had accepted the “courtesy resignation” that his senior official had tendered “out of delicadeza.”

Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Monday, November 18, that Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman “respectfully offered and tendered their resignations out of delicadeza after their departments were mentioned in allegations related to the flood control anomaly currently under investigation, and in recognition of the responsibility to allow the administration to address the matter appropriately.”

Bersamin, however, is not keen on leaving the Palace statement unchallenged.

“Wala akong resignation na finile. Kasi ang lumabas na sinabi, nabasa ko na lang na I resigned out of delicadeza. Masarap pakinggan ang out of delicadeza. Pero hindi naman totoo ‘yan. Hindi ako nag-resign,” Bersamin said in a phone patch interview with reporters on Wednesday, November 19.

(I did not file any resignation. Because what’s coming out, I just read that I resigned out of delicadeza. It’s nice to hear, “out of delicadeza.” But it’s not true. I did not resign.)

He said that he only submitted a letter to the President, signed late Tuesday afternoon, November 18, saying, “I bow to the prerogative of the President.”

“You submit to the prerogative of the President to replace me kasi (because) that is the nature of my tenure — at the pleasure of the President….. I will not also validate na may resignation ako kung wala (that I submitted my resignation when there’s none),” Bersamin said.

He admitted feeling dismayed by the Palace announcement as having resigned — for him, it portrays him as “running away.”

“I felt bad somehow but I am not going to waste time worrying about the new ones or the way they did it because maybe they were also under instruction or given the impression na mayroon akong (that I have submitted my) resignation,” Bersamin said.

What happened on the day his ‘resignation’ was announced

Bersamin said that a “close friend” called him before noon of Monday to inform him that he “has to exit as executive secretary.” He said he was fine with this, since he served at the pleasure of the appointing authority, the President.

Asked what he believes to be the reason for his replacement, Bersamin said he didn’t ask since it’s the President’s prerogative and that he “does not need a reason” to make the decision.

The Palace announcement on the Cabinet changes was made hours after a handwritten narration from flood control mess witness Roberto Bernardo had reached the President, claiming, among other things, that Bersamin was linked to the corruption scandal.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson shared details about Bernardo’s handwritten narration during the Senate plenary debates on the 2026 budget on Tuesday, November 18.

Lacson also said that being a “very kindhearted” person, Marcos apparently opted for the “courtesy resignation” line instead of announcing that he had sacked the officials.

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In a statement sent to media, Bersamin said of Bernardo’s allegation: “I vehemently deny the imputation against me that I said anything to Sec. Bonoan that ‘we will take care of it’ regarding the supposed facilitation of the P52 billion. Bernardo could not be a credible source of relevant information if his knowledge looks and sounds like at least triple hearsay.”

On Wednesday, Bersamin said those who want to implicate him in the flood control mess should file a case in court so that he could address the allegation squarely. The former chief justice maintained that in his decades in public service, he had never been tainted by any scandal or controversy.

Photo, meeting with Marcos

In his media interview, Bersamin also shared that he had a face-to-face meeting with the President on Tuesday night, but declined to give details of what they discussed as this was still privileged communication between them.

He described their 30-minute conversation as “very social, genial” and shared that they even had a photo taken.

When asked, he said that he had no ill feelings toward Marcos. He was just disappointed, he said, as he did not expect to “be out of office so quickly.” Bersamin served as executive secretary for over two years, after the months-long stint of Vic Rodriguez. Ralph Recto has been tapped to replace him.

Despite what happened to him, Bersamin is still rooting for the President. Responding to a question in a OnePH interview, he said, “I’m not disparaging [VP Sara] at ang kakayahan niya (and her capability) but I think it’s safer for the Philippines to stay with President Marcos.” – Rappler.com