Senators push for more funds for Judicial Integrity Office, Shari’ah courts

Senators on Wednesday pushed for an additional budget for the judiciary for the creation of more Shari’ah courts and the implementation of the Judicial Integrity Office (JIO), which seeks to address complaints against court officials.

During the Senate plenary debates on the judiciary’s proposed budget, Senator Panfilo Lacson pushed for an additional P250 million funding so that the JIO will be fully operationalized.

“Para ma-operationalize ‘yung JIO, P250 million lang. Palagay ko mayroon tayo makukuha niyan. So they can start organizing,” Lacson said.

(To operationalize the JIO, it’s only P250 million. I think we can get that. So they can start organizing.)

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, the sponsor of the judiciary’s budget, said it is still not yet fully organized.

The JIO replaced the five-member Judicial Integrity Board. It was expressly given the power to conduct fact-finding investigations and to recommend appropriate penalties or clemency against court officials.

Lacson said the JIO will be primarily tasked to promote integrity and to address issues of corruption within the judiciary.

“While the consciousness is high, ano, in addressing corruption, maybe this is the proper time to assist the Supreme Court (SC) or the judiciary to, you know, to organize immediately the JIO,” he said.

“During the period of amendments, we can introduce amendments in the amount of only P250 million,” Lacson later added.

Pangilinan said Senate finance committee chairman Senator Sherwin Gachalian nodded his head in assent.

Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla pushed for more funding for the creation of three Shari’ah Courts instead of just two. 

Pangilinan said an additional P200 million was needed for this.

“Hinihingi po natin sa ating chairman ng finance na mapagbigyan din po ang mga kapatid niyo pong Muslim na mabigyan po ng P200 million na budget ang ating SC,” Padilla said.

(We are asking our chairman for finance to also grant our Muslim brothers and sisters the P200 million budget for our Supreme Court.)

According to Pangilinan, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he talked with Gatchalian who agreed to add the needed budget. 

Pangilinan said Gatchalian also nodded in affirmation.

The Senate on Wednesday concluded its plenary deliberations on the P67.7 billion proposed budget of the judiciary.

Of this, P58 billion were for the Supreme Court and lower courts, P166 million for the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, P2.6 billion for the Sandiganbayan, P5.7 billion for the Court of the Appeals, and P1 billion for the Court of Tax Appeals. — JMA, GMA Integrated News