In a move that bares escalating scrutiny over alleged irregularities in government infrastructure spending, Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary for Government Relations Trygve L. Olaivar formally submitted his resignation to Malacañang on November 18, 2025.
The resignation was confirmed by DepEd Chief Media Relations Officer Dennis E. Legaspi during a press briefing, signaling the latest high-profile exit in a widening corruption probe tied to flood control initiatives under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Olaivar, a Boholano native with over two decades of experience in public service, had been appointed to his DepEd role in August 2024.
A graduate of the University of the Philippines in 2004, Olaivar built his career in government administration, focusing on legislative relations and policy coordination.
Prior to his undersecretary position, he served in various capacities within the executive branch, showing inter-agency collaboration on education and infrastructure priorities.
His tenure at DepEd was relatively brief, spanning just over a year, during which he oversaw government partnerships and advocacy efforts for educational reforms.
Hailing from Trinidad, Bohol, Olaivar was often highlighted in local media as a “padayon” (forward-moving) figure from the province, with community leaders publicly congratulating his appointment as a point of pride for the province.
The timing of Olaivar’s resignation coincides directly with renewed allegations of his involvement in a multibillion-peso kickback scheme linked to DPWH flood control projects.
Former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who testified before congressional hearings earlier in November 2025, accused Olaivar of receiving illicit payments from contractors involved in these projects between 2019 and 2024.
Bernardo’s claims, detailed in public statements and video testimonies, portray Olaivar, husband of Candijay, Bohol Mayor Thamar Olaivar as a top intermediary who allegedly facilitated the flow of funds from anomalous contracts to high-level officials, including purported ties to Education Secretary Sonny Angara—allegations that both Olaivar and Angara have categorically denied.
In response to the accusations, Olaivar has publicly stated that he has no involvement in any wrongdoing and has expressed willingness to fully cooperate with any formal investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman or relevant oversight bodies.
This development follows closely on the heels of two other voluntary resignations accepted by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on November 17, 2025: Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
Both officials cited “delicadeza”—a Filipino cultural principle of propriety—as their reason for stepping down after their agencies were implicated in the same flood control irregularities.
The projects in question, intended to mitigate nationwide flooding risks exacerbated by climate change and typhoons, have come under fire for substandard construction, overpricing, and non-delivery, with an estimated P100 billion in budget insertions during the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
These insertions, which later became part of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), were criticized for lacking transparency and proper vetting, transforming essential disaster-resilience efforts into vehicles for graft.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Senate President pro tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disclosed on November 19, 2025, during a Senate session, that Olaivar and Adrian Bersamin—the younger son of former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and former head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO)—allegedly invoked President Marcos Jr.’s name to pressure stakeholders into approving these budget insertions.
According to Lacson’s account, which drew from Bernardo’s narration, the duo approached former Congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, claiming that Marcos had personally directed the allocations during the GAB’s bicameral phase.
This tactic, Lacson explained, was designed to lend undue legitimacy to the insertions, implying endorsement from the “highest office of the land” despite no evidence of direct presidential orders.
Co, a former representative from Akbayan party-list, corroborated these details in a series of videos uploaded to social media platforms in mid-November 2025, where he alleged that Marcos and his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, personally benefited from billions in kickbacks derived from the inserted projects.
Co’s revelations, which have garnered widespread attention and calls for probes, painted a picture of systemic manipulation in the legislative budgeting process, where political alliances allegedly trumped public interest.
The interconnected resignations—Olaivar, Bersamin, and Pangandaman—have exposed vulnerabilities across executive branches, from education and budgeting to the Office of the President.
As of November 22, 2025, no replacements have been announced for Olaivar’s position, and DepEd has refrained from commenting further on the matter pending any official inquiries.