2 judges lauded for not accepting cash incentives

CEBU - The president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City chapter has lauded at least two Regional Trial Court judges who have decided to stop accepting cash allowance from the city and provincial governments.

IBP-Cebu City chapter president Briccio Boholst said that the decision of RTC Branch 13 Judge Mienrado Paredes and RTC Branch 58 Judge Gabriel Ingles not to accept cash incentives from the two local government units is worth emulating.

Boholst said that although it is allowed by law for the LGU to give assistance to the judges, but it would somehow affect the credibility of the judiciary. In fact, former IBP president Alex Tolentino, in a separate interview, described the giving of cash allowance to the judges as “bad practice”.

Tolentino said the “Supreme Court should not have tolerated the practice which began since time immemorial.”

He pointed out that there are members of the Cebu City Council who are practicing lawyers that might enjoy favors from the judges out of “utang na loob” because these councilors have sponsored resolutions donating computers and other office equipment for the judges.

Tolentino said the high court should do something to stop this practice which he said is not only happening in Cebu but in almost all parts of the country.

The two RTC judges have already sent a letter to the provincial and city governments voluntarily declining to accept their monthly cash allowance. The province is giving P6,000 monthly allowance to the judges, while the city government is giving P5,000.

Paredes sent a letter to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia last Tuesday informing the provincial chief executive of his decision.

According to Paredes, his decision to cease accepting allowance from the provincial government came about to sympathize with RTC Branch 20 Judge Bienvenido Saniel whose allowance was reportedly cut-off after rendering a decision against the province in the case involving the appointment of a board member of the Metro Cebu Water District.

Ingles did the same to demonstrate his sympathy for Saniel.

The reported cutting-off of Saniel’s allowance by the province after his deciding of a case against Capitol prompted Mayor Tomas Osmeña to announce his plan to give each judge in Cebu City a service vehicle.

The judges however refused to issue any comment on the plan saying that they have yet to discuss about it.

But RTC Judge Macaundas Hadji Rasul said that it would be a great help to the judiciary if service vehicles would be issued to process servers instead. — Fred P. Languido/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)