On salaries and allowances of judges - Palace open to dialogue with judges

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Palace open to dialogue with judges over budget
By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 03/17/2011 5:41 PM | Updated as of 03/17/2011 11:22 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The Palace is open to a dialogue with judges on the issue of the budget for the judiciary, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Thursday.

In an interview, Lacierda said President Benigno Aquino III is committed to judicial reforms and improving the justice system as an important foundation for improving people's lives.

"The President is committed to judicial reforms. He has always viewed in improving the justice system as an important foundation for improving our people's lives. Our approach to the budget is meant to support the needs of the judiciary. We have always been open to a frank and constructive dialogue with our judges on their budgetary concerns. In fact, we're engaged in a discussion between the Department of Budget and Management and the Philippine Judges' Association on these concerns," he said.

He added: "We have taken every opportunity to do our part but the resources of the judiciary also involved the funds given the Supreme Court from legal funds and which it administers. A shared commitment to transparency and budgetary matters is, in turn, the foundation of our cooperative, constructive resolution of the judiciary concerns."

Some judges threatened a mass leave as early as last year, following the failure of Congress to include in the 2011 budget their request that government pays their salary differentials since July 2007.

The threats did not push through amid intervention from association officials. The Supreme Court also urged the judges to go back to their salas.

Philippine Judges Association (PJA) President Antonio Eugenio said some 800 to 900 judges will meet on Friday to vote on a “compromise formula” the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had offered.

A salient point of the memorandum of agreement is a special allowance for judges as payment for their salary differentials or a total of P1.5 billion.

This is part of the reconciliation efforts supposedly offered by the DBM, headed by Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

“We had several meetings with [him] and the finance officer,” Eugenio said. “We will discuss whether the terms and conditions are acceptable."

Otherwise, protests will continue if both parties do not meet halfway, he said. With a report from Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com