Next year, the Judiciary as a whole would receive an additional P5.7 billion in funding, according to 1-Pacman party-list Representative Mikee Romero.

In a statement, he said the significant increase is included in the proposed P5.268-trillion 2023 “Agenda for Recovery” national budget that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. submitted to Congress on August 22, this year.

“The additional funds are in the President’s proposal. I have no doubt that the House will support the adjustment, which we hope would allow the judiciary to meet its requirements for a quicker disposition of cases and faster dispensation of justice,” Romero pointed out.

The Supreme Court, regional trial courts (RTCs), and lower courts are allotted “new appropriations” totaling P41.923 billion in the proposed national budget, which is P2.203 billion more than the P39.720 billion allotted to them this year.

The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Appeals (CA), the Court of Tax Appeals, and each have their own separate funding allotments. The Sandiganbayan will receive P482 million more in new funding next year, bringing the total to P2.074 billion, up from P1.593 billion this year.

The CA would see the largest uptick of P2.988 billion among the courts, raising its expenditure from P3.504 billion this year to P6.492 billion in 2023. The huge hike in the CA’s budget is mostly attributable to the adjustment of more than P2 billion in its capital spending, from P532.3 million this year to P2.678 billion in 2023.

The PET, which is the Supreme Court itself, will receive P167.3 million next year, rising from P157.3 million this year.

Romero said overall new funding for the Supreme Court, CA, CTA, PET, RTCs, and lower courts will amount to P51.432 billion in the upcoming fiscal year, which is P5.7 billion or 12.46 percent more than the P45.735 billion allotted for this year in the P5.024 trillion 2022 national budget.

“It’s the largest budget increase for the judiciary in recent years,” he stressed.

The Judicial branch had P44.109 billion last year and P40.163 billion in 2020, Romero continued.

Photo Credit: Facebook/mikeeromerovolunteers