JOKER SLAMS MALACAÑANG'S CONDITION IMPOSED ON SUPREME COURT
MANILA, OCTOBER 11, 2011 (STANDARD) by Rey T. Salita - OPPOSITION Senator Joker Arroyo said Sunday Malacañang's condition for releasing the P2 billion in impounded Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund for unfilled positions in the Judiciary was aimed at embarrassing the Supreme Court.
"They [Malacañang] have asked the Judiciary, a co-equal in government, to submit to them a regular report on how it spends its funds, and it's a requirement they won't impose on themselves," Arroyo said.
He said Malacañang, through the Budget Department, overstepped its bounds when it imposed budget accountability on the Judiciary "as if there was no corruption in the Office of the President."
"They just want to embarrass the constitutional bodies, and Malacañang's target is the Supreme Court," Arroyo said.
He said Malacañang should respect the fiscal autonomy of the constitutional agencies and avoid getting into situations where it had to pass through constitutional litigation.
Malacañang has included in the 2012 general appropriations act a special provision impounding the allocations for unfilled positions of all government offices in the Benefits Fund, which the Budget Department will release only when the vacant positions are filled.
Except for Congress, the special provision was criticized by the constitutional commissions led by the Supreme Court, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Audit Commission, the Elections Commission, the Civil Service Commission, and the Commission of Human Rights. They invoked their fiscal autonomy.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad has said the impounding is aimed at instilling fiscal discipline in all government offices.
But Arroyo said Malacañang may not suspect the Supreme Court's expenditures as its disbursements were subject to auditing.
Why? Does Malacañang think they have no corruption and think there's corruption in the Supreme Court?" Arroyo said.
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