Corona vows speedy justice despite small budget

MANILA, Philippines – It won’t be an easy task for Chief Justice Renato Corona once he assumes the country’s top judicial post, especially considering the limited resources allocated to the judiciary.

Corona said he is ready to take on the challenge and make sure there would be reasonable period of dispensation of justice even for ordinary cases.

“This (budget) is a perennial problem. But justice still advances in this country and at a relatively faster pace already. It all depends on management,” he said in Filipino, hinting a game plan on how to run the judiciary with less than one percent of the national budget.

While the chief justice lamented that the bid to have bigger appropriation has always been an “uphill fight” even for his predecessors, Corona remains optimistic that the SC and the lower courts could still effectively perform their mandates.

“We’re not a rich country. We’ll just make sure there will be efficient distribution of resources,” he said.

Corona stressed that financial assistance from development banks and international organizations has also been a big help for the SC.

He revealed that some lawmakers have already voluntarily expressed willingness to help increase the budget of the judiciary.

He lamented that the SC requested some P14 billion in budget last year, but was only given P11 billion by Congress. The current appropriation for the judiciary represents just about .84 percent of the national budget.

Corona clarified that he has not asked for a budget increase during his meeting with the lawmakers. –Edu Punay (The Philippine Star)