Supreme Court cool to return of P2-B personnel fund

Supreme Court spokesperson and Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed reservation over the decision of the House of Representatives to return to the judiciary the control of its P2-billion personnel fund and spare court workers from the budget cut.

Jose Midas Marquez, the high court’s spokesperson and administrator, pointed out that the House agreed to return the P2-billion fund on condition that the money would be used to fill up the vacancies in the judiciary.

“To our view, that still runs afoul to the provision of the Constitution. That’s still against fiscal autonomy of the judiciary,” Marquez said.

“If you put that (condition), it’s as if you’re saying you have to fill up those positions for you to spend that portion originally allotted to the MPBF (Miscellaneous Personal Benefit Fund),” he said.

Marquez said he was confident that the senators would eventually remove the condition once the House version of the proposed 2010 budget reached the Senate and bicameral committee.

He clarified that the judiciary’s savings generated from the funds allocated for the unfilled positions were not only used for the bonuses of court employees, but for the high court’s social programs such as the Justice on Wheels.

He said the funds were also being utilized to provide allowances to judges assigned as pairing or presiding judges of vacant courts.

Marquez said it would be unwise for the tribunal to fill up all vacancies in the judiciary since a number of courts, especially in the provinces, need not have a permanent judge and court staff.

“It would be a waste of people’s money if we appoint a judge who would handle only a few cases. It would be better if we just assigned a pairing judge to handle the cases and just provide token allowances,” he said.  Marlon Ramos