Supreme Court officials to hold dialogue with Cebu court workers

CEBU — The Supreme Court’s deputy court administrator Christopher Lock is scheduled to arrive in Cebu today to conduct a dialogue with court employees in Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu cities.

Pampio Abarintos, executive judge of the Regional Trial Court here, yesterday announced the arrival of Lock who will be accompanied by members of the SC building committee and lawyer Evelyn Dumdum, who will represent Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

Lock and his party will immediately hold the dialogue, first with the court personnel of Cebu City at 10 a.m. at the Capitol social hall and will later proceed to Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu Cities.

Abarintos is urging all court employees to attend the no-holds-barred dialogue for a chance to directly raise their problems with the High Court’s top-level officials.

Major issues to be discussed include salary increases and the restoration of benefits, including educational, medical, hazard, dental and amelioration pay.

Congress had earlier approved a 100 percent increase in the salary of judges and justices to be gradually implemented within a four-year period.

The rank and file employees, however, said that while the judges and justices deserve salary increases, the SC should also take care of these employees "by providing at least a comfortable way of living for them to be able to cope with the prevailing economic crises." — Freeman News Service