“If there is anyone that has no right to express their opinion it's Usec. Claire because she is supposed to voice the President's message—not her own.”

That was the response that Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice had to the recent statements of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro concerning his stance on the supposed “lack of action” of the current administration on the flood control scandal and other issues concerning local government units.

He stressed that he was merely speaking on behalf of the people who were looking for answers to corruption in the government, defending his statements regarding the lack of will of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to imprison officials who were linked to the issue.

“I am not speaking for the president, I am just voicing the sentiments of our people. The president had promised several time[s] in several way[s] that he is going to resolve the flood control and budget anomaly yet his pronouncement[s] were either confusing and evasive,” Erice told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“I am a representative and my main duty is to provide check and balance,” he added.

Castro, on the other hand, questioned Erice’s persistent remarks in which he was seemingly speaking on behalf of the President.

She cast doubt on the allegations of the congressman, stressing that the statements were often made-up “theories” that were not backed up with sufficient facts and basis.

“Has he spoken directly to the President regarding people that were involved in the flood control mess, because if he hasn’t spoken to the President, and he does not know the sentiment of the President, he shouldn’t speak,” she said during a Palace briefing.

“He should not speak like he knows what the President is saying, he has no right to be the spokesperson of the President, unless he will take my place,” she added.

Castro further highlighted that the representative from Caloocan claimed that he knew information about corruption schemes other than those linked to flood control and infrastructure, particularly when it came to a supposed anomalous plot involving garbage collection in local governments.

Despite such information, however, the Palace press officer pointed out that she never heard of Erice taking such matters to authorities for investigation or other legal action.

“So if he knows something and he is one of the public servants, and one of the loudest in condemning officials, has he done any actions about the corruption in local government units when it comes to collecting trash,” she said.

Curious about where Erice was getting his information, Castro said that she wanted to speak to the congressman personally and ask where his statements were coming from.