Mayor Osmeña Orders 50 Percent Cut in Allowances for Justices, Judges, Clerks of Court

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has ordered a 50 percent reduction, effective immediately, of the monthly allowances the city gives to justices of the Court of Appeals and judges and 75 percent reduction of the allowances for the clerks of court.

Osmeña’s order will affect 78 workers in the judiciary.

Based on records from the Cebu City Budget Office, eight judges from the Court of Appeals (CA) have been receiving PHP25,000 a month from the city government.

A total of 23 judges in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) get PHP20,000 each a month, while eight judges in the Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCC) get PHP15,000 each a month.

The four clerks of court in the CA, 24 in the RTC and 10 in the MTCC receive PHP4,000 each monthly.

It was Osmeña who started to give allowances to the members of the judiciary in 2008, saying he believed they were underpaid.

“And the temptation is very strong and they all have internal financial needs, personal needs. I decided to give the allowance because that is a very sensitive position,” he said.

But Osmeña, who is now starting a fresh term after six years away from City Hall, said his priorities have changed, which include providing education to high school graduates so they will get jobs.

Osmeña served a term in the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2013, then lost the mayoral elections in 2013 to former mayor Michael Rama.

He defeated Rama by more than 30,000 votes in the May 9 elections. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS