The ongoing political war between the Marcos and Duterte camps has consumed all governance energy that should have gone to economic reform, policy-making, and investment promotion—and the economy is now paying the price, Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar “Egay” Erice warned Tuesday.
Erice made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program The Situation Report on September 8, where he described the political conflict as a self-inflicted wound that has left the Philippines without a coherent economic direction at the worst possible time.
The lawmaker said the political alliance between the Marcos and Duterte families that swept the 2022 elections with 30 million votes turned out to be a unity of convenience for winning, not a unity of purpose for governing.
“‘Yun pala yung platform nilang unity, unity lang ng convenience for the elections. Pero walang unity in terms of programs na magpapaunlad ng bansa natin. Nung nag-away sila, ngayon instead of magplano ng mga programa sa pagpapaunlad, ang nangyari impeachment, away dito, away dun,” Erice said.
He said the political instability created by the feud is already being felt in the investment climate, quoting an economist who told him that foreign investors are now treating the Philippines as a country they can afford to ignore.
“May nagsabi na isang ekonomista na yung Pilipinas ngayon parang they can ignore it as an investment opportunity,” Erice said.
He said the contrast with other countries is stark—in Singapore, Japan, and the United States, the political conversation at this stage would be about what policies will drive the economy in 2028 and beyond, not about which camp will win the next elections.
Erice said the Marcos-Duterte conflict has also deeply divided even opposition ranks, with some so consumed by hostility toward the Dutertes that they have stopped scrutinizing the current administration’s failures.
“Deeply divided kasi yung ating bansa ngayon. Deeply divided even yung mga kasamahan ko sa Liberal Party, yung mga kung tawagin dilawan, hati kayo. Parang merong mga sobrang galit sa mga Duterte na hindi na nila napapansin yung mga kamalian ng administrasyon ngayon,” Erice said.
