FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC
OF THE PHILIPPINES)
First Regular Session

H.B.No,___ 2624

Introduced by Congresswoman NUR-ANA I. SAHIDULLA
Representative, 2” District, SULU

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In this time and at this age, believe it or not, there is not a single municipal
trial court operating in the 19 municipalities in this Representation’s home
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 Zamboanga City.

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 perilous 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. 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. It is for this
reasons that an Amendment to RA 9227 and the passage of this bill is
needed.

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NUR-ANA I. SAMIDULLA
Komen ? District, SULU



FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC
OF THE PHILIPPINES)
First Regular Session

H.B.No__ 2624

Introduced by Congresswoman NUR-ANA I. SAHIDULLA
Representative, 2" District, SULU

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 House of Representatives and the Senate 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 CITIE S 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. Effectively - 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,