Grace Poe appears before ICI, denies involvement in 'small committees'

Former Senate finance committee chairperson Grace Poe appeared before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to shed light on the budget process, as subpoenaed as a resource person by the commission. 

Poe denied she had any participation in any “small committees” of the bicameral conference committee hearing where alleged insertions in the budget were committed. 

“I am not privy to that, wala akong sinalihan na small committee, o closed door meeting with my counterpart in the House,” she said. 

(I am not privy to that ... I didn't join any small committee or closed door meeting with my counterpart in the House.)

Poe explained that amendments from both houses of Congress are reconciled during the bicameral conference committee hearing in close coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). 

“Lahat naman ng mga sinasabing amendments na-ratify ng both houses (All amendments ratified) during the final bicam process and as far as the Senate’s amendments are concerned, it was presented and coordinated with the DBM also. They were aware of it, because we wanted to make sure that this was possible in terms of the categories that were allowable to amend,” she said. 

Poe’s attendance came a day after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senate President Pro Tempore and blue ribbon panel chairman Panfilo Lacson appeared before the committee which asked them how budget insertions were possible. 

Sotto called insertions after the bicameral conference committee hearing “illegal” and Lacson said that they should go after the “original sin” which is the insertions by Congress. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News