14th Congress of the Republic ) 
of the Philippines 
1 
2nd Regular Session 
1 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This one is for Ripley's. 
In this time and at this age, believe it or not, there is not a single municipal trial 
court operating in the 18 municipalities in the province of Sulu. 
The province is entitled to four regional trial courts. Not one is sitting in the 
province on a regular basis. The judges more often than not hold sessions in the City of 
Zamboanga. 
There is, thus, no effective judicial remedy to redress the grievances of the 
people of Sulu. 
The appalling absence of trial courts in Sulu and its municipalities bespeaks the 
troublous times besetting Sulu. 
Without trial courts to arbitrate grievances according to the Rule of Law, the Rule 
of the Gun will prevail as it seems to prevail today in the province. Serious threats to the 
security and the safety of the populace of Sulu, including kidnappings, abductions, 
ambuscades, and outright killings, appear to be horrendously common place in the 
province. 
Nobody needs an Einstein to explain why judicial postings in such a province are 
not an attractive proposition at all. Hence, this attempt to provide incentives to attract 
qualified judges to accept appointments to and hold regular sessions permanently in the 
province and municipalities concerned. 
The incentives involve doubling the salaries, emoluments, allowances, perks and 
benefits of the trial court judges for provinces such as Sulu and other local government 
subdivisions that are similarly situated. Also, security details of police officers or troops 
of the armed forces at the choice of the Judges concerned shall be provided. The costs 
of such security details shall be borne by the judicial department and the local 
government units concerned in equal amounts. 
It is understood that the judges of all levels of trial courts assigned to Sulu and 
other local government units plagued with similar security problems described above 
shall benefit from the bill's package of incentives ONLY if they sit and hold regular court 
sessions in their places of assignment. 


In the event that the judges so assigned to these perilous posts get killed in the 
line of duty, their heirs shall receive double the benefits that the heirs of judges who are 
assigned in other places are entitled to under the law. 
Immediate passage of this bill is requested. 
7 
AQUlLlNO Q. PIMENTEL, JR. 


14th Congress of the Republic ) 
of the Philippines 
) 
2nd Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S 
2 
Introduced by Senators Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr.; Pia S. Cayetano 
and Alan Peter S. Cayetano 
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 2 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9227, OTHERWISE 
KNOWN AS AN ACT GRANTING ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION IN THE FORM OF 
SPECIAL ALLOWANCES FOR JUSTICES, JUDGES AND ALL OTHER POSITIONS 
IN THE JUDICIARY WITH THE EQUIVALENT RANK OF JUSTICES OF THE COURT 
OF APPEALS AND JUDGES OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 5 of Republic Act. No. 9227 is hereby amended to read, as 
follows: 
Sec. 2. 
Grant of Special Allowances. - 
All justices, judges and all other 
positions in the Judiciary with the equivalent rank of justices of the Court of 
Appeals and judges of the Regional Trial Court as authorized under existing laws 
shall be granted special allowances equivalent to one hundred percent (100%) of 
the basic monthly salary specified for their respective salary grades under 
Republic Act No. 6758, as amended, otherwise known as the Salary 
Standardization Law, to be implemented for a period of four (4) years. 
The grant of special allowances shall be implemented uniformly in such 
sums or amounts equivalent to twenty-five percent (25%) of the basic salaries of 
the positions covered hereof. Subsequent implementation shall be in such sums 
and amounts and up to the extent only that can be supported by the funding 
source specified in Sec. 3 hereof. 
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT ALL JUDGES OF THE MUNICIPAL OR CITY 
AND REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS ASSIGNED TO AND ACTUALLY HOLDING 
COURT SESSIONS ON A PERMANENT BASIS IN ANY MUNICIPALITY, CITY OR IN 
SUCH PROVINCES AS SULU AND OTHER EQUALLY HAZARDOUS AREAS 
SHALL RECEIVE SALARIES, EMOLUMENTS, PERKS AND ALLOWANCES 
DOUBLE THOSE RECEIVED BY JUDGES OF THE SAME LEVEL WHO ARE 
ASSIGNED ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. 
IN ADDITION, THE SAID JUDGES SHALL BE PROVIDED SECURITY 
DETAILS OF NOT LESS THAN FIVE OR MORE THAN SEVEN POLICE OFFICERS 
OR ELEMENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES. THE COSTS OF MAINTAINING THE 
SECURITY DETAIL AFOREMENTIONED SHALL BE SHARED IN EQUAL AMOUNTS 
BY AND SHALL BE TAKEN FROM THE BUDGETS OF THE JUDICIAL 
DEPARTMENT AND THE PROVINCE CONCERNED IN THE CASE OF THE 
REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS. 


THE COSTS OF MAINTAINNG THE SECURITY DETAIL IN THE OTHER 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS MENTIONED ABOVE SHALL BE SHARED IN 
EQUAL AMOUNTS BY AND SHALL BE TAKEN FROM THE BUDGETS OF THE 
JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS CONCERNED. 
THE SHARES OF THE PROVINCES, THE CITIES OR THE MUNICIPALITIES 
CONCERNED SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED FROM THEIR INTERNAL 
REVENUE SHARES AT THE START OF EVERY FISCAL YEAR. 
IN THE EVENT THAT JUDGES SO ASSIGNED AS DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE 
KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY, THEIR HEIRS SHALL RECEIVE DOUBLE THE 
BENEFITS THAT THE HEIRS OF JUDGES ASSIGNED ELSEWHERE IN THE 
COUNTRY WHO DIE IN THE LINE OF DUTY ARE ENTITLED TO. 
JUDGES SO ASSiGNED MAY NOT BE TEMPORARILY DETAILED OR 
PERMANENTLY TRANSFERRED ELSEWHERE WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE 
JUDGES AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS CONCERNED. 
IN THE 
EVENT THAT THEY ARE TEMPORARILY DETAILED OR 
PERMANENTLY TRANSFERRED ELSEWHERE WITH THEIR CONSENT AND THAT 
OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS CONCERNED, THEY SHALL NO LONGER 
RECEIVE THE ENTITLEMENTS PROVIDED FOR IN THIS ACT. 
THE ADDITIONAL SALARIES, EMOLUMENTS, PERKS 
AND BENEFITS 
SPECIFIED IN THIS ACT SHALL CONTINUE TO BE GRANTED TO THE JUDGES 
CONCERNED UNTIL THE SECURITY SITUATION 
IN THE PLACES OF THEIR 
ASSIGNMENTS SHALL HAVE STABILIZED AS CERTIFIED TO BY THE COURT 
ADMINISTRATOR AND THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL 
GOVERNMENTS. 
SECTION 2. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 3. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,