Abad to visit SC to tackle Judiciary’s budget

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—For the first time, the head of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will visit the Supreme Court to discuss the budget of the Judiciary.

“Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad of the DBM is expected to come to the Supreme Court for the first time to meet Chief Justice [Maria Lourdes] Sereno and the associate justices of the Supreme Court to take up the budgetary requirements for the judicial reform initiatives of Chief Justice Sereno,” Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.

This is the first time that a Budget Secretary will visit the Supreme Court to discuss the Judiciary’s budget.

Malacañang and the Supreme Court have been bickering about the budget since last year after it has imposed upon the high court conditions on how the Judiciary will spend its fund.

Last year, Malacañang said it will allow the high court to use its impounded budget for unfilled positions in the judiciary and member agencies of the Constitutional and Fiscal Autonomy Group but required them to use such funds exclusively for such purpose or it will automatically be reverted to the Bureau of Treasury.

The Palace also required the high court to do a quarterly reporting of its spending.

This year, the DBM slashed the judiciary’s special allowance for justices and judges and at the same time wants billions of court fees being collected by the courts be turned over to the national treasury as part of the government’s fund.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez earlier said they are still appealing the DBM’s decision.