GOVERNOR Juan N. Babauta yesterday said he would address Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan’s concerns regarding the judiciary’s budget.
Demapan earlier said the reduced budget and spending allotments for the third and fourth quarter of this years would jeopardize the judiciary’s ability to serve the public. He also called the budget cuts “unlawful.”
Babauta said he had asked the Office of Management and Budget to reconsider the cuts in the spending allotments of the various departments and agencies.
A 20.7 percent decline in the government’s first quarter revenue prompted the administration to reduce by 8 percent the third and fourth quarter allotments with only the Public School System spared from the reduction.
“I met with the budget officer and appealed for a reconsideration of the cuts as requested by the chief justice,” Babauta told Variety.
Budget and finance experts deemed it necessary to include the judiciary in the budget cuts, the governor said.
“But I assure (Demapan) that the cuts will not paralyze the operations of the judiciary,” Babauta said. He said he also asked Attorney General Robert T. Torres to look into the legality of the budget cuts.
“Obviously, the chief justice knows the law, but I have asked the attorney general to review his letter and prepare a response,” Babauta said.
He said he had discussed Demapan’s concerns with the Office of Budget and Management when the chief justice first raised concern over the budget cuts in March. Based on the third quarter allotment, the Supreme Court’s budget has been reduced by $64,252 or 8.4 percent.
