P900M benefits for judges, justices still unpaid — SC official

The country’s 2,308 justices and judges have yet to receive the benefits entitled to them since 2007 amounting to some P900 million, Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez told lawmakers Tuesday. At a briefing with the House justice committee, Marquez said the unpaid benefits were from the salary increases made by the government through four executive orders it issued in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2003, Marquez said, Congress passed Republic Act 9227 that grants special allowance to justices and judges equivalent to 100 percent of their salary to be given in a period of four years. But in 2007, when the first EO was issued mandating the 10 percent increase in their salaries, the 100 percent special allowance of justices and judges was slashed to 90 percent because the increase was charged to the special allowance. The special allowance went down further to 80 percent after another EO was issued in 2008 which also seeks a 10 percent increase in the salaries of judges and justices. “Beginning 2007, mayroong EO na sinasabi na lahat ng opisyal ng gobyerno ay mayroong 10 percent increase sa salary, kinuha ito sa 10 percent special allowance ng mga mahistrado na dati nang ibinibigay sa halip na maghanap ng ibang pagkukunan ng pondo, charged against the special allowance so ang epekto noon wala talagang increase," Marquez said. (The salary increases were charged against their special allowance so in effect, there's really no salary increase.) Affected by this were 2,200 judges across the country, nine justices in the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), 69 justices in the Court of Appeals (CA), 15 justices in Sandiganbayan and 15 justices in the Supreme Court (SC). Marquez also said the increase based on the EO, unlike the special allowance, was subject to tax deductions. “Nalugi pa ang huwes (The judges were shortchanged.) “Mas matindi noong 2009, 33 percent increase na ang kinuha sa special allowance at P10,000 naman noong 2010 na doon rin kinuha sa special allowance. Dati nang tinatanggap ito as allowance at walang tax," said Marquez. (In 2009, 33 percent increase was sourced from the special allowance. In 2010, it was P10,000. They’ve been receiving these increases as allowances but before it was not subject to tax.) Marquez said the judiciary is counting on the Congress to approve its P23 billion budget for next year to settle the unpaid benefits of the justices and judges. - KBK, GMANews.TV