Poe: Budget revisions must be traceable to individual lawmakers

Former Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday called on Congress to remove secrecy from the national budget process as investigations into anomalous flood control projects continue.

Poe urged that all amendments to the national budget carry the name of the lawmaker behind them to deter ghost projects and questionable insertions.

“What I see as the change needed here is that all amendments should show the proponent or name of whoever pushed for it,” she said.

Poe made the remark after attending a closed-door hearing of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, where she appeared as a resource person to brief members on the budget process.

The former finance committee chairperson has been linked to the flood control controversy over alleged involvement in “small committees” of the bicameral conference, which critics said allowed arbitrary changes to the budget.

Poe denied taking part in these closed-door sessions, saying she never participated in the informal groups where questionable amendments were allegedly introduced.

She compared the current situation to the 2013 pork-barrel scandal, which led Congress to eliminate lump-sum funds and adopt line-item budgeting.

The former lawmaker acknowledged that the ongoing probe could expose names of lawmakers the public may not expect, describing the process as a difficult but necessary reckoning.

“We pay large taxes, and what’s happening is infuriating. The country will not heal if we do not take this very difficult step,” said Poe.