Philippines: PIMENTEL BACKS CALL FOR RESTORING P4 BILLION CUT IN JUDICIARY BUDGET NEXT YEAR

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today assured officials and employees
of the judiciary that he will support their appeal for
the restoration of the P4 billion that was cut by the
House of Representatives from the proposed P14.4
billion budget of the judicial branch for next year.

Pimentel said he saw no rhyme nor reason for the hefty
budget cut since the judiciary needs more funds to
hire additional judges and cope with increasing number
of cases.

In fact, he noted that many courthouses and rooms in
different parts of the country remain in dilapidated
condition while the modernization program of the
judiciary in terms of computerization has been
hampered by chronic lack of funds.

“We in the Senate will do our best to restore the cut
in the judiciary budget if not wholly, at least
substantially,” Pimentel said.

“The judiciary is one of the government agencies to
which the people go for help when they suffer
injustice and when their rights are violated. How can
the judiciary come to their rescue and perform its
duties competently if it is always short of funds?”

Pimentel expressed apprehension that the Supreme
Court’s plan to fill up 200 vacant positions for
judges in the regional trial courts will be snagged if
the budget cut is not reinstated.

“As members of Congress, we should not allow a
situation where the judiciary, as the last recourse of
victims of injustice, will be crippled in discharging
its functions to insufficient funds. That will only
aggravate the country’s troubles.”

He said the judiciary deserves additional funding to
fulfill its commitment in resolving thousands of cases
of extra-judicial killings, forced disappearances and
other forms of human rights violations.

In response to Malacañang’s request, up to 99 Regional
Trial Courts were designated as special courts last
year to exclusively handle extra-judicial killings of
leftist activists, journalists, judges and law
practitioners.

Noting that the P4 billion was excised by the House
from the 2008 judiciary budget without any
explanation, Pimentel said it would seem that the
third independent and co-equal branch of government is
being punished, instead of rewarded, for its
initiatives in decisively addressing the scourge of
political and media killings, since this appear to be
a slap on the face of the executive branch which is
under fire for its inept and lackluster efforts to
solve the problem.

He said Chief Justice Reynato Puno forcefully drove
home the message when he deplored that they could not
possibly live up to the people’s clamor for a
world-class judiciary if they all that they would
receive is a “Third World budget.”

By restoring the P4 billion budget cut, Pimentel said
this will also correct the disturbing impression that
Congress is paying lip service to the fiscal autonomy
that the judiciary supposedly enjoys under the
Constitution.
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