Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar “Egay” Erice said the Executive Department should share the blame with Congress for allowing billions of pesos in questionable budget insertions to persist in recent years, warning that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s legacy is now at stake.
In an interview on DZRH News’ special coverage of the September 21 mass protests, Erice said that while lawmakers altered the President’s budget proposals, agencies under the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), particularly the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Department of Finance (DOF), should have warned him earlier.
“Ang aking sinasabi po, hindi lang Kongreso ang dapat sisihin dito. Dapat po ‘yung sa Executive Department, particularly ‘yung DBCC sa Budget po, sa Finance, dapat nakita na nila at na-warningan na nila ang Pangulo, na sa 2025, dapat hindi na payagan ito,” he said.
The lawmaker said that from 2023 to 2025, Congress had diverted or altered around ₱1.45 trillion in presidential budget proposals.
He said that congressional leaders, including then-appropriations chair Rep. Zaldy Co and then-Senate finance chair Sen. Grace Poe, played key roles in approving bicameral reports that carried these changes.
“Ang nangyari n’yan, from 2023 to 2025, three years budget ng ating Pangulo, pinakialaman at sinalaula ng Kongreso,” Erice said.
According to him, Budget and Finance officials cannot simply pass the blame solely to Congress.
“Either malaking kapabayaan o nakipagsabwatan ‘yung ilang mga Gabinete ng ating Pangulo sa mga ganitong pagkakataon,” he argued.
If they had flagged the diversions earlier, he said, the President could have exercised his veto powers.
“Sinasabi po ng DBM at ng Finance Department na Kongreso ang gumawa nito, oo nga, pero bakit patuloy na nilang ginagawa ay hinahayaan pa natin, pwede naman pong ika nga i-veto ng Presidente kung talagang binago ang kanyang mga priorities,” Erice said.
“Dapat vetoed ng Presidente. Ang dinadahilan nila, ayaw nilang magkaroon ng reenacted budget. Eh mas masahol itong nangyari kaysa isang reenacted budget,” he stressed.
He also criticized the integrity of the 2025 flood control budget, which he described as riddled with “insertions” that do not offer long-term solutions.
By 2026, he cautioned, the rainy season could bring even more severe flooding.
“Para sa akin, ‘yung mga mali, ‘wag i-implement for 2025. Hanapin ang mga mali, ‘wag na ipatupad. 2026 naman, hanapin ang mga tama,” he said.
Erice disclosed that ₱253 billion worth of flood control projects was recently removed from the 2025 national budget and reallocated to other sectors such as healthcare and education.
While he welcomed the shift, he warned that it would worsen flooding in the coming years since most of the ongoing projects will not be completed on time.
Erice also pushed for reforms, including empowering the newly created Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) with coercive and contempt powers, compelling the House and Senate to release all records of diversions, and subjecting Co to disciplinary action if he fails to return to the Philippines.
He also called for a post-budget revamp in House leadership to restore public trust.
Erice also pressed Congress to pass the long-delayed anti-political dynasty law, arguing that dynastic politics fuel corruption and the misuse of public funds.
“Isa sa mga dahilan ng korapsyon ay hindi lang kagahaman sa salapi kundi kagahaman sa kapangyarihan. They will use every single cent of government money to ensure that their families will perpetuate in power,” he said.
