UN cites effective use of Supreme Court financial aid

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has been cited for its effective management of financial aid and resources from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

In its national implementation modality audit for 2010, the UNDP rated the SC with an outstanding performance after ensuring that its resources given to the country’s judiciary are judiciously used and managed.

UNDP Philippines officer in charge - Country Director Amelia Supetran has assured Chief Justice Renato Corona in a letter last July 1 of the program’s continuing support to SC.

“The Supreme Court’s outstanding performance which rendered a clean opinion on the financial audit report made us more confident that transparency and accountability are being ensured in managing project funds,” Supetran told the SC chief.

“This performance and observance of financial standards and policies in managing project resources will be continuously fostered and sustained not only in this year’s project implementation but also in future projects and undertakings,” the UNDP official said.

Chief Justice Corona, for his part, was pleased with the citation, according to SC administrator and spokesman Midas Marquez.

“We welcome UNDP grants as they contribute largely in continuing reforms in the judiciary. They must be spent prudently and wisely,” Marquez told The STAR over the phone when sought for reaction.

In partnership with the UNDP, the high court last year gave greater attention to increasing access to justice by the poor and the marginalized through integration of gender dimensions, human rights and the environment in its projects.

Among these projects are the Medium Term Development Plan for the Criminal Justice System which aims to strengthen and harmonize the justice system through its pillars, the Legal Empowerment of the Workers in the Informal Sector which aims to educate the poor about their rights, and the Integration of the Rule of Law in the Educational System which aims to instill the principles of human rights in the primary and secondary education level.