LACSON BATS FOR BIGGER BUDGET FOR JUDICIARY

Scoring the skewed distribution of resources in the proposed P1.126-trillion budget for 2007, Sen. Panfilo Lacson batted Monday for a bigger budget for agencies involved in judiciary work.

Lacson, who lauded the judiciary led by the Supreme Court for showing independence and intelligence, proposed that some items in the budget be realigned for the operating expenses of various courts.

Dont you think the Filipino people through this chamber ought to reward the judiciary especially the Supreme Court for the recent decisions that they have rendered? For being independent, for showing the integrity and for possessing the intelligence to detect fraud and deception cleverly yet blatantly put together by a group known as Sigaw ng Bayan and ably supported and backed by an even more scheming executive branch? he said at the budget deliberations for the judiciary at the Senate.

Under the present proposed budget for 2007, the judiciary stands to get P9.6 billion, or less than one percent of the entire budget pie. In contrast, the executive branch will get P570 billion, or more than half of the entire budget.

Yet, Lacson said the judiciary is a co-equal branch of government. The judiciarys main agencies include the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Presidential Electoral Tribunal, and the Sandiganbayan.

If only for that, will you agree with me we should at least augment the less than 1-percent budget allocated for the judiciary? he asked Senate finance committee chairman Franklin Drilon, who was sponsoring the budget bill.

Lacson said that at the proper time, during the period of amendments, he may propose some realignments from some sources to the judiciary.

Records show that at least 32,000 workers are employed under the judiciary, roughly estimated at 2 percent of the 1.4 million government work force, for which only P9.6 billion is allotted out of the proposed P1.126 trillion national budget.