Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Egay Erice has accused leaders of the House of Representatives of leveraging the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 to reward political allies and penalize critics.
According to Erice, billions in infrastructure funding under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were distributed based on political alignment rather than district needs.
In a television interview with the Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC), Erice claimed that lawmakers who voted against the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte received significantly lower infrastructure allocations.
Conversely, he alleged that supporters of the impeachment and members of the House leadership secured substantially larger shares.
“Actually, yun ngang proposal ng DPWH, a certain aspect of (that) parang political reward and punishment system na,” Erice said.
“Kasi mababa lang yung mga hindi bumoto ng ‘yes’ sa impeachment ni VP Sara. Yung mga bumoto, matataas na. Tapos yung House leadership, matataas na,” he noted.
The lawmaker pointed to the infrastructure funding for Ilocos Norte’s 1st district, represented by House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
Budget watchdogs noted that the district’s public works funding jumped by roughly ₱4.38 billion, rising from ₱369 million in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to ₱4.74 billion in the House-approved General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“I’m not singling out Representative Sandro Marcos. Pero anak sya ng Presidente. Sabi ng Presidente, bantayan ng tao ang budget. Bakit bantay-salakay?” he said.
In response, Malacañang defended the allocations for the younger Marcos’ district, stating that budget insertions are permissible provided they fund legitimate public projects. The Palace also emphasized that the proposed budget remains subject to ongoing legislative scrutiny.
Erice further questioned adjustments in other key districts, including those represented by House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, Appropriations Committee Chairperson Mika Suansing, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin, Public Works Committee Chairperson Romeo Momo, and Bulacan 1st District Representative Danny Domingo, particularly highlighting large, unvetted flood control projects in Calumpit and Hagonoy.
“Ito yung ‘mother of all flood control (scandal)’ na area… Yung kanyang GAB amendment, may mga lumabas na mga project na pagkalaki-laki na hindi mo alam kung saan galing,” Erice said.
“Dapat ito manggaling sa district office. Tapos dadaan sa region… How could they come up with a… project na hindi dumaan sa anumang [ahensya]?” he added.
Concluding his statement, Erice called on Malacañang to actively review questionable line items instead of dismissing watchdogs and lawmakers tracking the spending bill.
“Pakiusap ko lang sa Malacañang, lalo na kay Usec. Claire Castro, nagbabantay kami. Hindi ito premature. Talagang ginagawa namin ito,” Erice said.