Drilon to Help Request P1 Billion for Hall of Justice

Senate President Drilon who was in Cebu on Tuesday said he had a meeting with Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale about the construction of a new Hall of Justice in Cebu City with an estimated cost of P1 billion.

Drilon advised the two officials to make a request seeking the help of President Benigno Aquino III by including the construction amount in the President’s 2015 budget. The Senator also said he urged the two officials to work on the request saying “I will assist them to request the President to include in the 2015 National Budget the initial P5oo-Million funding.”

“The five hundred million pesos is just an initial budget because the cost of the entire building is around one billion pesos. They have to make the request as soon as possible while the proposed budget for next year is still being crafted,” said Drilon.

Drilon also added that the provincial officials said the Provincial Board will immediately pass a resolution urging the president for the inclusion of the P500 million in the national budget next year.

The Provincial Government has offered capitol-owned lots in Barangay Guadalupe and in Barangay Kalunasan as possible sites of the new hall of justice.

(L-R) Senate President Franklin Drilon speaks beside the UC dean, College of Law, Atty. Baldomero Estenzo (Photo by Mary Jane Catriz)

The old Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice has already been declared hazardous by the building officials due to the cracks it sustained from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October last year, prompting court officials and employees to transfer operations in Capitol grounds.

Last month, the courts were transferred to the Quimonda IT Center in North Reclamation Area.

Bar Exams Outside Manila

Drilon, in a separate occasion, also said he will support the holding of the bar examinations in Visayas and Mindanao to extend the possible number of topnotchers and passers particularly in Cebu, whose topnotchers landed at Top 5 and 6.

Drilon also said he will file a resolution urging the Supreme Court to decentralize the bar examination.

Resolution from Lungsod ng Cebu

“I will fully endorse to the Supreme Court to bring the bar examination in Visayas and Mindanao. However, it depends to the rules of court, whether they will approve it or not,” said Drilon.

Drilon explained that lawmakers cannot legislate the matter since admission to the bar (admission to the practice of law) is under the supervision of the Supreme Court under the Constitution.

Photo above: (L-R) Comm. Julie Renduque (Commissioner NLRC Region VII), Judge Jocelyn Uypo (Hon. Judge MCTC Consolacion, Lilo-an,Cordova), Senator Franklin Drilon and Atty. Baldomero Estenzo (UC Dean of College of Law) (Photo by Mary Jane Catriz)