MikeLigalig.com

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has said he will increase the monthly allowances of judges and justices assigned in the city as his way of strengthening the judiciary and helping “underpaid” court officials deal with financial burdens.

If the plan pushes through, the allowance of judges in the city will be increased from only P5,000 a month to the equivalent of their monthly basic salaries, or at least P30,000.

They also get another P6,000 monthly allowance from the Cebu Provincial Government.

The allowances are given to 27 Regional Trial Court (RTC) and Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) judges, some of whom are handling cases the City Government filed or is facing.

Six justices of the Court of Appeals Cebu station will also start to receive monthly allowances equivalent to their basic pay.

“The allowance will be equivalent to their salaries. If the monthly salary is P60,000, his allowance from the city is also P60,000. We will match their basic pay,” Osmeña said.

The city prosecutors, who recently drew criticisms from the mayor, are not as lucky. Their P5,000 monthly allowance will not be increased.

Cebu City Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the City Council committee on budget and finance, inquired about the salary of judges and learned that it starts at P30,000.

The appropriation will be included in the P1.4-billion supplemental budget the executive department will propose next week.-PNA