Ilocos Norte court employees stage silent protest

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

LAOAG CITY—As the perceived attack on the judiciary gets more controversial, Ilocos Norte court employees staged a silent protest against threats to scrap the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF).

Atty. Zaldy dela Cruz, a court employee at the Ilocos Norte Marcos Hall of Justice said the recent controversial issue between the executive and the judiciary over the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring Malacañang’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional should not affect court employees.

“They should not mind the judiciary. The timing and the move of the Congress to scrap our allowance is just awful,” Dela Cruz said.

Executive Judge Philip Salvador said in a separate interview that wearing black and white is meant “to show cohesiveness with the Supreme Court (SC).”

“We have to make a stand against insinuations that the SC is vindictive in its ruling. The truth is, the decision is based on the law and no other else,” Judge Salvador said.

Saying the attack of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III is simply unfair, the executive judge of Branch 13 said the JDF is a fund authorized under a Presidential Decree under the term of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

“The JDF comes from the collection of the SC. About 80 percent of the total collection goes to the cost of living allowance [cola] of all court personnel while the 20 percent goes to equipment and other facilities,” he explained.

Also, the court employees are also condemning the additional taxes to be levied by the Bureau of Internal Revenue without any increase of salary.

"We had been clamoring for additional budget but it seems like the SC is not one of the three branches of the government. The attack of PNoy is wrong and we express our sentiments about it,” the executive judge added.

As an expression of support to the Supreme Court, court employees here said they are joining the high court, the Court of Appeals, the Court of Tax Appeals and the Sandiganbayan in wearing red or black at the start of the new work week as a symbol of indignation for attacks against the judiciary and threats to scrap their allowance.

Court employees get an average of P2,000 a month through the JDF, and a certain percentage of the fund goes to the rehabilitation of court houses.

The same court employees will also stage a similar action on July 28, when President Benigno Aquino Jr. delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona).