Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco is up in arms against the inclusion of appropriations intended for the Judiciary (i.e. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan as well as all other courts, Commission on Audit, Commission on Elections, Civil Service Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman) in the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) under the 2012 General Appropriations Act as a violation of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
These offices have fiscal autonomy as explicitly stated in Section 3 Article VIII, Section 5 Article IX and Section 14 Article XI, respectively, of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Tiangco said.
The provisions are in very simple and clear English, he added, “and clearly, the grant of fiscal autonomy to these agencies is to ensure their independence from the Executive Department.”
The threat of impeachment of the Supreme Court Justices would appear to be “a premature bullying tactic and also shows the real intention of the MPBF,” added Tiangco.