A question of priorities

The daunting task of setting priorities, especially where budget allocations are concerned, can make or break a president. In the case of President Aquino III, it is proving to be a major test of his leadership skills, purpose and system of governance, knowledge and willpower.
Less than 100 days into his administration, judges all over the country are threatening to go on a mass leave to protest the possible reduction of the budget of the Judiciary for 2011, a first in the history of the Philippine judicial system.

It cannot be ignored by either him or his supporters that the poor handling of the hostage crisis in Luneta has done his country a major disservice as it is bound to soon feel the international backlash on its tourism industry, first and foremost. No matter who was directly in command, the blame always points upward to the leader at the top. The ongoing unresolved problem at Hacienda Luisita and the alleged jueteng payola involving top officials in his administration call for a resolute, bold and sweeping action from this president who, in his campaign, vowed to eradicate corruption and poverty in the Philippines. It’s time for more action and less talk.

CenPEG (Center for People Empowerment in Governance) came out with a harsh criticism of the President’s budget. It claimed that” the threat of a judicial revolt against the administration’s failure to earmark a decent budget for the judiciary unveils a creeping dissatisfaction from several sectors of the country today.”
The rapidly eroding faith of some public sectors points to the “widening gap between the promises by Benigno S. Aquino III and the actions – or blunders – that have been done since he became the nation’s 15th President 78 days ago,” reports CenPeg.

The Supreme Court had asked for a budget of P27 billion for next year but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) slashed it by more than a half to P14 billion in the General Appropriations Act submitted by the Aquino government to the House of Representatives. The reduction has prompted the High Court to warn of a possible judicial revolt.

In seeking for a higher budget, the High Court claims the additional outlay would be used to pay the unpaid pay increases of judges and court employees, repair of Halls of Justice and court rooms, among others.

Philippine Judges Association (PJA) president and Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Antonio Eugenio said that many judges have accumulated debts because of their rather low salaries. A Regional Trial Court judge receives P30,000 to P35,000 a month while a Metropolitan Trial Court judge receives P25,000.

The justices and judges are one in saying that they are entitled to salary adjustments enjoyed by other government workers starting 2007. No less than Supreme Court administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez pointed out that judges and justices “have not been receiving their full rightful wages and allowances from 2007 to the present.”

Initially, President Aquino ruled out the higher budget sought, pointing out that the P14 billion the DBM had endorsed was higher than the judiciary’s budget for 2010. Many senators and congressmen supported the stand of the President, stressing that if they give in, other agencies will also request for increases in their appropriations, which the government could not afford due to dwindling resources. At press time, the President and the Congress leaders may have opened up some window for increased budget when the Chief Executive set a meeting with the Chief Justice even as the convening of the Executive-Legislative Council was proposed to tackle the issue.

But the marked increase in budget allocations for other agencies made those adversely affected by the cuts, question the president’s priorities. The president’s “reform budget” grants Php 24.8 billion for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF or pork barrel) – an increase by Php13.9 billion or 129 percent from the current allotment. The armed forces funds will increase by 17.9 percent and the controversial debt servicing by 29.2 percent. The budget for The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will get a lion’s share at 122.7 percent to Php34.3 billion. The judges’ sentiment is based on the fact that as CenPeg wrote, “the allocation for the judiciary is less than 1 percent of the total budget while that of the unproductive PDAF is nearly 2 percent; armed forces, 4.7 percent, debt servicing, 22.6 percent, and DSWD, 34.1 percent.”