Solon wants judiciary to get more budget

THE Judiciary may just get a bigger share of the proposed P3.002 trillion national budget for 2016 if a Mindanao congressman gets his way.

During the budget deliberation of the Judiciary at the House of Representatives Thursday, Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said he would file a motion before the appropriations committee to increase its budget to one percent of the overall national budget.

In his presentation before the appropriations committee, Supreme Court deputy court administrator Raul Villanueva said the proposed budget for the Judiciary, as approved by the Department of Budget and Management, is P26.6 billion or 0.89 percent of the total budget.

The share for 2016 is an increase from the 0.81 percent share in the 2015 budget.

Of the P26.6 billion, P24.2 billion is set aside for the Supreme Court and other lower courts, P505.9 million for the Sandiganbayan, P1.5 billion for the Court of Appeals, P281.6 million for the Court of Tax Appeals, and P90.8 million for the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Rodriguez said he would file a motion to increase the Judiciary’s proposed budget to P30 billion or one percent of the national budget.

“We would continue to support the Judiciary. We hope to put that into motion in the plenary,” Rodriguez said.

In the Supreme Court’s (SC) budget, the payment for the new SC complex in Bonifacio Global City would fall under the P3.048 billion earmarked for capital outlay.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of the fifth floor and purchase of fixtures, furniture and other equipment for the two additional divisions in the Sandiganbayan would be covered under its P82.9 million capital outlay.