THERE’S nothing wrong with judges accepting allowances from local government units (LGUs) as far as Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Simeon Dumdum is concerned.
Dumdum said Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno’s plan to prohibit judges from receiving allowances from LGUs is unlikely to happen considering that some officials want to do so.
“It (stipends given by LGUs to judges) is allowed by law. That is not the money of the mayor or governor. That is the money of the local government and it’s up to the LGU to give it (to judges) or not,” Dumdum said.
Contrary to what some people think, he said allowances given by LGUs to judges aren’t bad.
“It is not illegal although there are people who say that it is improper in the sense that the public may have an impression that once an LGU gets a favorable decision from the court, the ruling was already influenced by the allowances received by the judge,” Dumdum said.
He urged the public to go beyond their mere instincts and find out if judges who rule in favor of an LGU who provides an allowance is really biased. Dumdum said he receives an allowance from the province.
“I won’t be a hypocrite here…Being a family man, it’s a help. If an allowance is there, I will accept it. If there is none, then it’s alright. But I want to clarify that I look at cases with an independent mind. You can check the records of the case that I handle,” he added.
Dumdum said the SC must find some ways to iron out its plans to stop judges from receiving allowances from LGUs.
“I respect the plan of the SC but I’m very pessimistic that it will work out,” he said. Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno revealed plans to review the policy allowing judges and justices to receive allowances from LGUs.
Each Municipal Trial Court in Cities judge is presently receiving a monthly stipend of P30,000 from the Cebu City government.
On the other hand, each Regional Trial Court judge in Cebu City receives P35,000 from the city government and P12,000 from the Capitol. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol