For judiciary, it’s black vs yellow

MANILA, Philippines - Now it’s the judiciary’s black shirts versus the Aquino administration’s yellow ribbons over the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Judges and court employees in trial courts nationwide will wear black shirts on Monday to protest President Aquino’s public tirade against the Supreme Court and indirect threat of impeachment against justices over their recent unanimous ruling declaring parts of DAP unconstitutional.

This was bared to The STAR yesterday by officers of an organization of judges in Metro Manila, who begged not to be named for fear of being object of what they call vindictive action by the President and his allies.

They revealed that judges and court employees are also not pleased with moves by administration allies in Congress to abolish the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF), considering the measly appropriation for the judiciary in the national budget, which has been around one-percent over the past years.

“We don’t have DAP or PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund). Why do they want us to also suffer the consequences of their illegal funds?” one of the judges commented.

The judges, however, said participation in their “silent protest” will be voluntary and is not sanctioned by the high court.

Faced with questions about his administration’s credibility after the Supreme Court ruled that portions of the DAP were unconstitutional, the President sought support from the public by asking them to wear yellow ribbons.

The yellow ribbon was the symbol used by the President’s mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino, to rally support from the public against then President Ferdinand Marcos.

The judges said they also plan to wear black shirts on July 28, when the President is expected to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“We will do this until they stop threatening the independence of the judiciary, including our fiscal autonomy,” the judge added.

There are over 2,000 judges and 27,000 employees in courts nationwide.

In 2012, the Philippine Judges Association (PJA), Metropolitan and City Judges Association of the Philippines (MetCJAP) and the 3,000-strong SC employees association held a similar “Black Monday” protest in support of then chief justice Renato Corona during his impeachment trial.

At that time, they stepped out of their courts in Metro Manila and trooped to the SC building in Manila to protest what they dubbed as “death of democracy in the Philippines.” – With Mayen Jaymalin, Marvin Sy