Caloocan Representative Edgar “Egay” Erice said the leadership of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should be replaced due to what he described as “negligence” and “incompetence” amid alleged flood control anomalies.

Speaking in an interview with DZRH on Saturday, Erice said that if he were President, he would “replace the DBM” and push for major reforms.

With all the anomalies within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Erice believes that the budget agency has a fair share of accountability.

“The DBM knows all about that, I believe. From 2023, P300 billion went missing, then P500 billion in 2024, and P400 billion in 2025. Yet they did not take any action. It was only in 2025, when it became controversial, that they reduced P29 billion from the President’s budget, but most of it remained untouched,” he said.“DBM is very negligent, very incompetent for allowing it,” he stressed, adding that the agency’s analysts are capable enough to detect such budget discrepancies.

Erice further explained the problem he sees in the budget process:

“Maybe they thought that during the 19th Congress, the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Congressman Zaldy Co, was so powerful since he was protected by Speaker Martin Romualdez. They assumed that all decisions made there had the blessing of Malacañang.”

He added that with the presence of the President’s son, Congressman Sandro Marcos, in Congress, DBM secretaries may have assumed that the President already concurred with those decisions.

“Even Senate President Chiz was involved. He, along with Zaldy Co, were the ones who discussed these matters,” Erice added.

According to him, it is clear that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was unaware of the agreement among the DPWH, the House, and the DBM.

“Now, what do they call congressmen? Vultures and crocodiles,” he said, highlighting that many young people feel their future is being burned and reiterating his earlier statement against corruption: “The house is on fire,” referring to massive budget insertions.

Notable reforms

However, Erice noted that replacing the DBM alone is not enough to solve the problem. The major reforms he emphasized include the passage of laws establishing an independent commission, anti-political dynasty, anti-turncoatism or political party-hopping, and campaign finance reform measures.

He commended President Marcos’ executive order creating an independent investigative body against corruption — the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — but stressed that it must be institutionalized through legislation to ensure sustainability and expanded beyond infrastructure, similar to models in Singapore and Hong Kong.

In a Sunday interview with DZBB, Erice described the ICI as a “paper tiger,” saying its power is limited because its members are paid by the Executive branch and “can be abolished anytime.”

He added that it has “no contempt power, and lacks the authority to conduct financial and forensic audits on contractors’ ledgers.” In other words, the independent body “has a lot of shortcomings.”

Erice stressed,

“We took an oath to defend the Constitution, but we refuse to act on Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution by passing an enabling law,”

criticizing how even senators are part of political dynasties, with siblings occupying the same positions.

“Are they the ones who are God’s gift to the Filipino people? Do others no longer have any right except for their own families?” he asked.

For him, neither the President nor the Vice President should be exempt from reform.

He said he would salute Marcos if he acted against his family’s interests, saying,

“He owes that to the Constitution. He swore an oath to the Constitution,”

adding that such reforms should be part of the President’s legislative agenda.

Regarding Vice President Sara Duterte, Erice said she should repay the Supreme Court’s decision that saved her from impeachment and advocate for the anti-political dynasty law as well.

Erice concluded that if these reforms are not implemented,

“the fire of anger among the people will only burn even more fiercely.”“The House, the Congress, the Senate are on fire; the government is shaking — it’s an earthquake. And the people are drowning in poverty,” he said, though he still expressed hope for effective reforms that would strengthen, not destroy, democracy.