Manila, Philippines - Senator Raffy Tulfo has called for the restoration of the judiciary's proposed budget for 2024, particularly emphasizing the need for hazard pay for judges and the establishment of additional family courts. During the plenary debates on the proposed budget for the Supreme Court, lower courts, Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals, and Court of Tax Appeals, Tulfo made a strong case for reinstating PHP221.8 million for the hazard pay of lower court judges and additional funds for modernizing these courts.
According to Philippines News Agency, Tulfo highlighted the vital role of an independent judiciary in effective law application and justice delivery, stressing that courts should be self-sustaining to avoid external influences in case handling. He specifically pointed out the need for PHP537 million for the creation of family courts in regions 2 (Cagayan Valley), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao), and 12 (Soccsksargen). According to Tulfo, family courts are crucial as they handle a variety of cases including those involving children, drugs, adoption, annulment, and custody.
The senator also cited the high volume of family court cases in these regions, currently managed by overburdened regional trial courts. The 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposes a budget of PHP57.79 billion for the judiciary, a 5.26 percent increase from this year's PHP54.9 billion. However, Court Administrator Raul Villanueva revealed that their initial proposal of PHP71.91 billion was reduced by PHP6.7 billion in the NEP.
In a related development, Senators are working to retain the PHP5.1 billion emergency repatriation fund (ERF) of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva emphasized the importance of this fund for the DMW, which is still in its early stages of establishment. Budget sponsor Senator JV Ejercito warned that reducing the ERF to PHP3.7 billion would adversely affect various DMW programs, including the expansion of migrant workers offices, provision of basic necessities to distressed workers, hiring of local hires for assistance-to-nationals functions, and operational expenses for repatriation. The proposed reduction in the DMW's budget from PHP15.308 billion to PHP12.752 billion has raised concerns, and the Senate is considering increasing it to PHP13.754 billion in its version of the budget.