The camp of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez has rejected the "mastermind" tag in the flood control projects corruption scandal, as it denied the Ombudsman's claim that the former House Speaker had any control over the national budget process.

Lawyer Elaine Atienza, Romualdez's spokesperson, had this to say Friday, May 29 following the remarks from the Office of the Ombudsman.

“We take exception to the recent public pronouncement suggesting that Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez was the mastermind of the flood control scheme because he, as Speaker of the House at the time, supposedly had ‘functional control’ over the budget process," Atienza said.

"Linawin po natin (We clarify): there is no such thing as ‘functional control’ over the budget process,” she emphasized.

“Accountability must be based on evidence, not theory or opinion. It must be based on what a person actually did, not what people assume his title allowed him to do,” Atienza further stated.

The national budget process, as described by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), passes through preparation, authorization, execution and accountability, with the National Expenditure Program (NEP) prepared by the executive and submitted to Congress for deliberation before enactment, implementation and audit.

“Sa madaling sabi, ang national budget ay hindi ginagawa ng iisang tao, iisang opisina, o iisang institusyon lamang. Dumadaan po ito sa isang mahaba, masusi, at multi-layered na proseso,” Atienza stated.

(In simple terms, the national budget is not made by a single person, a single office, or a single institution. It goes through a long, thorough, and multi-layered process.)

“Hindi ito hawak ng iisang opisina lamang, at lalong hindi ito kayang diktahan o kontrolin ng House Speaker (It is not held by a single office alone, and even more so, it cannot be dictated or controlled by the House Speaker),” she underscored.

Atienza said this is precisely why the claim that Romualdez had “functional control” over the process does not match how the government actually prepares, deliberates and approves the national budget.

"Wag po nating baluktutin ang katotohanan (Let us not bend the truth),” she emphasized.

She added that a House Speaker's role does not include directing senators, the President or other actors in the budget process.

“Wala pong kakayahan ang Speaker na diktahan ang mga Senador, ang Pangulo, o ang sinuman sa proseso ng pagpasa ng budget. Having said that, nais din po naming ulitin: hindi ang mga mambabatas ang nagre-release ng pondo,” Atienza added.

(The Speaker has no power to dictate the Senators, the President, or anyone else in the process of passing the budget. Having said that, we also want to repeat: it is not the legislators who release the funds.)

Atienza said the public should understand the basic architecture of the budget process before accepting claims that one official could singlehandedly control a national spending program.

Atienza said the Senate also prepares its own version of the budget and that differences between the two chambers are later reconciled through bicameral proceedings before the President acts on the final measure.

The lawyer-sspokesperson also underscored that lawmakers do not implement projects; inspect completed works or certify whether a project is real, completed or defective.

“Hindi rin sila ang nag-i-implement ng proyekto. At mas lalong hindi mambabatas o ang mismong Speaker of the House ang nag-i-inspect at nagce-certify na tapos na ang isang proyektong ghost naman pala,” Atienza stated.

(They are not the ones who implement the projects. And even more so, it is not the legislators or the Speaker of the House himself who inspects and certifies that a project is finished, only to find out it is a ghost project.)

“We therefore call for sobriety, fairness, and fidelity to the rules. Sweeping public pronouncements that point to Rep. Romualdez as the grand architect of a collegial and multi-faceted process involving the Executive, the House and the Senate do not help the search for truth,” she said.