DOJ, attached agencies pitch P26.6-billion budget for 2023

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies have asked Congress for P26.68 billion budget for 2023, according to the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Under the NEP, the highest allocation will go to the Office of the Secretary at P8.44 billion, followed by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) at P5.90 billion, and the Public Attorney’s Office (POA) at P5 billion.

The Bureau of Immigration will get P1.61 billion; National Bureau of Investigation, P1.85 billion; Land Registration Authority, P1.26 billion;  Office of the Solicitor General, P1.22 billion.

The Parole and Probation Administration will get P882.88 million; Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, P218.66 million; Presidential Commission on Good Government, P146.47 million; and Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution, P85.83 million.

Office of the Secretary

Of the P8.44 billion new appropriations for the Office of the Secretary, P7.3 billion will go to its law enforcement program, P113 million to the legal services program, and P39 million to the corrections program.

Under the special provisions, it shall submit quarterly reports on its financial and physical accomplishments within 30 days after the end of every quarter.

The office also aims to ensure the swift and fair administration of justice.

For the fiscal year 2022, the office received a budget of P7.7 billion.

Bureau of Corrections

Meanwhile, P5.90 billion of the budget of the BuCor will be allocated to the prisoners' custody and safekeeping program while P100 million will be for the rehabilitation of prisoners.

Special provisions include payment of allowance to inmates working in agricultural or industrial projects, medicine allowance for inmates, and quarter privileges for employees.

BuCor in 2022 received a budget of P5.2 billion.

PAO

The Public Attorney’s Office will allocate P4.7 billion of its budget to the public legal assistance program.

This includes the provision of free legal services to indigents and other qualified persons in criminal, civil, labor, administrative, and quasi-judicial cases.

It seeks to ensure a swift and fair administration of justice and assures an accessible, efficient, and effective legal service to indigents and other qualified persons.

For 2022, PAO received a budget of P4.9 billion.

The proposed budget was submitted to the House of Representatives on Monday, with deliberations targeted to be completed before October 1, 2022.—LDF, GMA News