D

AS RECEIVE!

Republic of the Philippines
. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bit. no.L603

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is high time for the government to grant to all its duly appointed judges of the Regional! Trial
Courts the incentive of a hazard pay equivalent to at least 20% of their basic pay and the same
shall not be not subject to tax.

There is an interesting justification for this modest proposal. On one end of the scale, judges 2s
a sector are now classified as high risk due to the nature of their work and this view is according
to human rights group Amnesty International.

‘On the other end of the scale, available data otherwise also show that from 1998 to 2012 alone, some
22 judges have been murdered or assassinated in the Philippines and this translates into two judges
being killed annually. If this pattern continues and unabated, it will wreak serious impact upon the role
of the courts in this country and put at peril the criminal justice system.

Certainly, not a single pillar of the five pillars of the criminal justice system should be under siege or a
kind of capture since it will severely distort the public purpose of a speedy, fair, and expeditious
disposition of cases especially those relative to heinous crimes, drug cases, and other syndicate crimes.
When judges are killed, assassinated or maimed, it makes a mockery of the justice system and places in
the hands of disgruntled litigants the option to take the law into their hands.

This should never happen. This attendant occupational risk should be counterbalanced by a modest
grant or entitlement such as a hazard pay that will encourage rather than discourage our judges to face
their duties and responsibilities fairly and squarely.

Other such similar emoluments or remunerations should also be considered in the future in order to
promote and preserve a truly vibrant criminal justice system, hence this humble submission, For the
initial implementation of the Act, it is assumed that the judiciary branch is in a capacity to prioritize the
grant of this hazard pay based on position and location. This means that a scientific and empirical
inventory of all RTC positions and locations will be rationalized until such time that all RTC judges
‘throughout the country would have already been granted this incenti



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bitt no, 1603

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
GRANTING DULY APPOINTED REGIONAL TRIAL COURT JUDGES AN INCENTIVE TO BE CALLED A
HAZARD PAY EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST TWENTY PERCENT (20%) OF THEIR MONTHLY BASIC
SALARY/PAY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 4. This Act shall be known as the ‘Regional Trial Court Judges Incentives Act.’
SEC. 2. Every bonafide and duly appointed judge of the Regional Trial Court shall hereby
be granted the incentive of a hazard pay equivalent to at least twenty percent (20%) of their
monthly basic salary/pay.
SEC. 3. Under this Act, such grant of hazard pay or its equivalent shalll not be subject to
tax consistent with the very purpose of this grant of incentives to all bonafide and duly
appointed judges of Regional Trial Courts.

‘ SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days upon its approval, publication in the
Official Gazette, and in at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,