Court employees protest budget cut
MANILA, Philippines — Court employees staged another “Black Monday” protest Monday against the proposed cut in the judiciary’s 2012 budget from P20 billion to a little more than P13 billion.
Led by members of the Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA) who wore black T-shirts and polo shirts, the court workers said they will continue with their peaceful protest without any disruption in regular working hours until the proposed P20-billion budget is given in full.
SCEA members, led by their president Jose Dante Guerrero, staged their protest in the presence of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona and other justices who attended Monday’s traditional flag-raising ceremony at the SC.
Shouting “Judicial independence and fiscal autonomy as provided for by the Constitution,” the SCEA members said a similar protest was also staged by their peers in various courts nationwide.
Of the about P7 billion proposed cut in the judiciary’s budget, about P2 billion represented the amount that is earmarked for unfilled positions in various courts.
'Black Monday Protest' over Judiciary budget cut
MANILA, Philippines — Employees of the Supreme Court (SC), Court of Appeals (CA), Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), and various trial courts all over the country staged Monday simultaneous protests against the proposed cut in the Judiciary’s 2012 budget from P20 billion to P15.6 billion.
Dubbed the “Black Monday Protest,” the protesters wore black T-shirts and polo shirts during their respective flag-raising ceremonies to dramatize their opposition to the national government’s proposal to further slash the figure by P2 billion.
Despite an early morning downpour, the employees stood their ground to express their resolve against a proposal to even lower the P15.6 billion budget by about P2 billion, representing the allocation for unfilled positions in the judiciary.
Court Administrator and SC Spokesman Jose Midas P. Marquez said the protest was done on the initiative of the employees themselves and staged without any disruption in the normal working hours of the judiciary.
