Palace eyes dialog between judiciary, DBM on budget cuts

Amid the looming “Black Monday" protest to be staged by court employees nationwide, Malacañang is eyeing a dialogue between the Department of Budget and Management and the judiciary to iron out their row over the cut in the judiciary’s budget for 2012. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on Sunday said the Palace expects DBM Secretary Florencio Abad to handle the situation. “Si Secretary Abad makakasagot niyan. Sila ang DBM, ang lead agency dito when it comes to the budget (Abad can answer that. The DBM is the lead agency when it comes to the budget)," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Valte said the DBM will be “open" to keep working with the stakeholders on the matter. She noted that last year, the DBM worked out a “peaceful compromise" with judges over an issue involving salaries and allowances. On the other hand, Valte declined to comment on how the Palace is taking the planned “Black Monday" by court employees, who will wear black shirts or sport black armbands to protest the budget cuts. “We are not one to hand judgment on that," she said. Earlier reports indicated the Judiciary Employees Association of the Philippines (Judea) plans to make known its objection to the budget cut by wearing black shirts or armbands on Monday and succeeding Mondays. Malacañang had reduced the judiciary’s proposed budget for 2012 to P13.396 billion and transferred the budget for unfilled positions to the miscellaneous personnel benefit fund, which would be under the control of the Office of the President. Sen. Joker Arroyo, a former executive secretary under the administration of incumbent President Benigno Aquino III’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, said this may violated the principle of the separation of powers. - KBK, GMA News