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  1. #1

    Default Judiciary budget cut: Palace stands firm


    Malacañang is unperturbed by threats of a “judicial revolt” in the light of President Aquino’s refusal to give in to the request of the judiciary for a higher budget in 2011.

    In separate interviews, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda declared that they could do nothing about the budget proposal, especially since the judiciary has kept secret the real amount of its Judicial Development
    Fund (JDF).

    “Sa ngayon (At the moment), we are completely blind (about the JDF status),” Abad told radio dzMM.

    Apart from the JDF, Abad said another source of income for the judiciary is the Special Allowances for Justices and Judges (SAJJ).

    He said the funds should be “subject to audit” by the Commission on Audit.

    “We just don’t know if they have a report on the SAJJ and JDF,” Abad said.

    In his proposed P1.645-trillion 2011 national budget, the President is seeking P14.3 billion for the judiciary, an amount that is P1 billion more than this year’s P13.3 billion.

    Court administrator and Supreme Court (SC) spokesman Midas Marquez said the judiciary wanted a P27.1-billion budget for 2011.


    More at Judiciary budget cut: Palace stands firm | The Philippine Star >> News >> Headlines

  2. #2
    i suggest... transparency...

  3. #3
    JUDICIAL REVOLT?
    Justices planning mass leaves
    MANILA, Philippines—A rift between the judicial and executive branches threatened to widen on Monday with some judges considering going on a mass leave in protest over Malacañang’s decision to slash in half the budget for court operations next year.

    Midas Marquez, the Supreme Court administrator and spokesperson, said that he had received a number of messages from members of the Philippine Judges Association proposing a mass leave for failing to get legislated allowances and salary increases.

    “I told them to stay put and concentrate on cases as we are still negotiating the budget,” Marquez said.

    President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, told Malacañang reporters that the judiciary budget for 2011 amounting to P17.9 billion was actually higher than this year’s allocation by P1.9 billion.

    “They should not be needlessly rash,” he said in Filipino.

    Lacierda said there was enough money for the judiciary, including salaries of justices and judges, and that this could come from the judiciary’s revenues from filing fees.

    “I hope the judiciary can shed light on this particular judiciary fund,” he said.

    Marquez reacted sharply to Lacierda’s statement, saying it was “too harsh” and “uncalled for.” He said that the court deserved to be treated with respect as a coequal branch of government.

    “We were happy that upon the assumption of this new administration, we heard that the priority would be strengthening the judiciary and we thought we would be getting support. This is not the kind of support that we want,” he said.

    Courting chaos

    Over the weekend, the Supreme Court issued an unprecedented statement warning that the Aquino administration was “courting chaos” in reducing its budget.

    Marquez earlier told the House appropriations committee that the judiciary was seeking P27.1 billion for its 2,300 justices and judges and 25,500 court personnel next year, but Malacañang cut it down.

    He said that in 2007, the judiciary earned P2.18 billion from filing fees, of which P1.14 billion went to a special allowance under Republic Act No. 9227 enacted in 2003 and another P1.04 billion to the judiciary development fund under Presidential Decree No. 1949.

    Not threatening

    Marquez said that while the judiciary was aware of the national government’s fiscal problems, it nonetheless expected the executive to give “priority” to the country’s magistrates.

    He said that the judiciary was not “threatening” the government.

    “We just want to get the message across,” Marquez said, pointing out that justices and judges still had not received the 100 percent increase in salaries and allowances provided under RA 9227.

    He said that a first level municipal judge barely received P25,000 for his monthly salary, while a Supreme Court associate justice received a monthly salary of some P40,000.

    Marquez said that with the 2007 executive order that provided for the across-the-board increase in wages for government employees, the judges’ 10 percent salary increase was taken from what was supposed to be the 100 percent increase in their allowances as provided by law.

    “In 2008, there was another executive order which increased basic monthly salaries of officials. The salary of the judges increased by 20 percent over two years but their allowances decreased. They are actually worse off because the 20 percent increase became taxable,” Marquez said.

    In 2009, another executive order for an increase in salaries was issued but there was no fund from the Department of Budget and Management, he said.

    600,000 pending cases

    Marquez said that there were 2,200 judges all over the country with more than 600,000 cases pending nationwide. The Supreme Court, which has 15 justices, has 6,000 cases pending.

    He said that the ideal ratio was one judge for every 10,000 population but currently, only one judge was servicing 50, 000 constituents.

    Marquez said that depending too much on the financial assistance of local governments such as renovating the court rooms could compromise the judiciary’s independence.

    “Our courts are under stress, (are operating) under unfavorable conditions, which undermine judicial independence,

    Justices planning mass leaves - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

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