The Judiciary Budget for fiscal year 2008, inclusive of locally funded and foreign-assisted projects but net of retirement and life insurance premiums (RLIP) under RA 9498, General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008, stands at PhP10,274,798,000.
This constitutes a .84% share in the PhP1.227 trillion national budget. Inclusive of the PhP495,220,000.00 RLIP in automatic appropriations from the Pension and Gratuity Fund, the total 2008 Judiciary budget of Php10,770,018,000.00 represents .88% of the 2008 national budget.
Under the GAA for FY 2008, net of RLIP, PhP9,002,494.000.00 or a .73 % share in the PhP1.227 trillion national budget and .84% share in total new appropriation is given as the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the Lower Courts (SCPLC) 2008 budget. Including the automatic appropriations for RLIP, the total SCPLC budget is PhP9,450,726,000.00, or .77% of the PhP1.227 trillion national budget per the SC Financial Management and Budget Office.
Under RA 9498, the Judiciary budget got an increase of PhP919,027.000.00 this year. Inclusive of RLIP, the Judiciary got a total increase of PhP919,593,000.000. The Judiciary agencies where the budget will be spent are the Supreme Court and the lower courts, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Appeals, and the Court of Tax Appeals.
Broken down, the PhP9.45 billion total SCPLC obligations translate to a PhP 8.56 billion allocation for the Supreme Court and the Lower Courts and allocation for locally-funded projects, particularly the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Legal Aid Subsidy (which remains at PhP30 million) and foreign-assisted projects (PhP410.33 million) totaling PhP440.33 million.
The most significant increase at 116% from last year’s allocation, which is more than half of the PhP892,410,000.00 increase in the 2008 SCPLC appropriations for its programs, is allotted for the repairs, maintenance, and other operating expenses of the Halls of Justice.
Congress has also given the Judiciary a PhP12 million budget for activities related to the National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances.
