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).
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