Solon wants P14B slashed from Judiciary's proposed 2024 budget restored

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Thursday pushed for the approval of the P71.91 billion proposed budget of the Judiciary for 2024 after the Department of Budget and Management slashed it by P14 billion.

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program, the DBM approved a P57.79 billion budget for the Judiciary, which is P14.12 billion lower from its proposed P71.91 billion budget.

The Judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court (SC), the Court of Appeals (CA), the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

During the budget hearing, Court Administrator Raul Villanueva asked the House appropriations committee to reconsider restoring P6.7 billion of the Judiciary's proposed budget.

He said this would restore P4.77 billion to the SC, P1.19 billion to the CA, P448 million to the Sandiganbayan, and P287.87 million to the CTA, which would be used for personnel services.

He also asked the committee to restore the special allowance of justices and judges as well as the maintenance and other operating expenses of lower courts, which the DBM said would no longer be funded.

While some lawmakers expressed their support for the restoration of the P6.7 billion budget, Rodriguez moved to restore the entire P14 billion.

“I move that this committee recommend to the plenary and to the Speaker and to the House committee on appropriations the increase of (P14) billion which was slashed on record, which was slashed from the Judiciary of this country,”  Rodriguez said.

Present during the hearing were SC Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda, Associate Justice Samuel Garland, Associate Justice Joseph Lopez, and Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez.

From the CA, Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr. and Associate Justice Bautista Corping Jr. attended the hearing.

Meanwhile, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Associate Justice Karl Miranda, and Associate Justice Michael Frederick Musni were also present.

CTA Presiding Justice Roman Del Rosario also attended the hearing.—AOL, GMA Integrated News