‘House JDF scrutiny vital for democracy’

MANILA, Philippines - The probe of the House of Representatives into possible corruption in the use of the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) is necessary to ensure accountability and protect democracy, the chairman of the chamber’s committee on justice said yesterday.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, a stalwart of the Liberal Party, said the investigation of the House would also scrutinize the lump sums and discretionary monies held by the Supreme Court (SC) for possible misuse.

He said several members of the panel and other colleagues have requested that the House conduct an investigation into the possible corruption in the disbursement of the JDF and Special Allowance for the Judiciary (SAJ).

“The House inquiry will not only look into how the JDF and SAJ are being used at present but will also look into the utilization and accountability of both funds of the SC in the previous years in their entirety,” Tupas told The STAR.

“A majority of the members of the committee on justice approached me (and) said other funds in the other branches of government should also be looked into, especially those that are closed to public audit like the JDF,” he said.

“This investigation is really not only about protecting taxpayers’ money from any form of misuse, but also to preserve the equality of the three branches of government, and uphold democracy,” he added.

Administration lawmakers described the JDF as the pork barrel fund of the SC justices.

The JDF is derived from court revenues like docket fees. It is estimated to be at least P5 billion and is not allowed to be checked by the Commission on Audit, Tupas said.

Earlier, Tupas told reporters that the House would start the probe on JDF as part of moves to re-establish the chamber’s powers in government that lawmakers believe were diminished when the SC ruled the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or congressional pork barrel, as unconstitutional.

He said the SC ruling declaring the PDAF unconstitutional “was a big blow not only to Congress but also to the people who are relying on the PDAF for educational and medical assistance.”

“Under the presidential type of government, the executive is always powerful but with this decision of the SC it further weakens the legislative branch. Actually, it sometimes emboldens the members of the SC to enter into territory previously under the province of Congress,” he said.