Malacañang on Monday denied Caloocan 2nd District Congressman Egay Erice’s allegation that Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon would give zero budget allocation for the C-3 Project in Caloocan because he criticized the administration. 

Erice last week revealed the allegation over a television program, telling the host of the threat of Dizon to him. 

“We personally called Secretary Vince Dizon and informed him about what Congressman Erice had said in an interview. Secretary Vince Dizon himself denied the claim, saying that he had not spoken with Congressman Erice about the latter’s allegations,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro Castro told reporters in a briefing.

Castro stressed that the government is not affected by and is not giving weight to the utterances of Erice, as they are “fake news and baseless.”

“So, there is no reason for anyone to fear him, and this administration is not afraid of any criticism. Whatever messages our fellow Filipinos may have, they are welcomed and considered by the President so he can determine what is lacking and what needs to be done,” she said.

“But messages that have no basis do not damage or undermine the government, nor do they affect us. However, they should be corrected because some people make boastful claims and say all sorts of things against the government, only for it to turn out that these claims came from their own mouths, without any evidence whatsoever,” she added.