GOOD NEWS for court judges!

Vacancies in the judiciary are expected to be filled up soon with the increase in take home pay of all court judges in the entire country come No. 12 this year.

This was announced on Thursday by Supreme Court Administrator Christopher O. Lock during the launching of a legal assistance program for detainees of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines chapter in Pangasinan headed by lawyer Joven Maramba.

Lock admitted that they are not attracting much lawyers to embark on a life long career in the judiciary because of the law pay for judges, both in the regional trial courts and the municipal trial courts.

There are 600 vacancies in the judiciary, to date but with the implementation of Republic
Act 9227 that granted 100 percent allowance for judges, computed from their basic pay, more lawyers are expected to apply as judges, Lock said.

“So, if the RTC judge has a basic pay of P25,000 per month, come Nov. 12, 2006, his take-home pay would be doubled because of his 100 percent allowance,” Lock said.
With the implementation of RA 9227, the take-home pay of an RTC judge would become P50,000 with the addition of special allowance to his basic pay, he added.

On top of that, a judge also gets a Representation and Traveling Allowance (RATA) of P10,000 a month, extra-ordinary allowance of P3,000 per month, plus allowance from the local government unit and a share from the Judicial Development Fund or a gross pay of P80,000 a month, Lock said.

In the same manner, a municipal trial court judge will get P75,000 as gross pay as he earns P23,000 basic pay, special allowance, RATA and JDF share, extra-ordinary allowance and allowance from LGU.