Phl judges assn prexy: Supports CJ’s plan banning LGUs allowances for judges

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The national president of the Philippine Judges Association (PJA) has announced his support of the plan of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno to prohibit judges from receiving allowances from local government units (LGUs).

PJA president Judge Franklin Demonteverde, of the Bacolod Regional Trial Court-Branch 44, said Tuesday:“Why should we get allowances from the LGUs? People might have this notion that we are beholden to the local government.”

Demonteverde said that to erase public suspicion, “it is better that there are no allowances (for the judges).”

Reports stated that the Supreme Court is now studying whether  it can afford to cover the additional allowances, which were usually given by the LGUs to the judges.

Demonteverde said that, even before he was appointed to the judiciary, there were already monthly allowances given to the judges. “Probably it started during the time of the late President Ferdinand Marcos,” he said.

The giving of allowances to judges is not really stated in the law, but “it’s up to the LGUs,” he said, while denying talks that the amount is equal to the monthly salary. “It’s not true. The amount is very minimal,” he said, but refused to reveal the exact figure.

Demonteverde said their allowances from LGUs should be stopped because there was already an increase in the judges’ salaries since two years ago.

Negros Occidental provincial administrator Enrique Pinongan, for his part, told The Freeman that the provincial government has been giving P5,000 monthly allowance each to 20 judges in RTCs outside of Bacolod, which is outside the legislative jurisdiction of the provincial government being a highly urbanized city.

The judges receiving allowances from the LGU are from RTCs in the cities of Cadiz, San Carlos, Himamaylan, Bago and Kabankalan. In separate report, judges in Bacolod RTCs receive P3,000 monthly each.

The LGU could save at least P100,000 a month if it will stop giving allowances to the judges, Pinongan said, adding that prosecutors and assistant prosecutors in the province also receive P2,000 monthly allowance each.

Pinongan however dismissed claims that the allowances are sort of “retainer’s fee,” saying that the LGU did this because “there is a request for that.” He said the LGU is allowed to do so anyway. “I have no idea if the judges’ decision on the cases were affected (because of the allowances),” he added.  (FREEMAN)