# Senate Committee on Finance: Judiciary - September 10, 2026 — Source-Linked Digest

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChSBhlwy39I

AI-assisted working draft. AI can make errors. Always verify consequential interpretations and wording against the cited transcript and official video.

## At a glance

- **Fiscal autonomy and budget priorities:** Members examined the new fiscal-autonomy framework, questioned the gap between DBM's recommendation and the Judiciary's proposal, and asked officials to identify priorities if not all requests could be funded. The Judiciary agreed to provide priorities, particularly for infrastructure, and sought a copy of DBM's comments.

- **Backlogs, staffing, and court performance:** The exchanges covered uneven caseloads, case-resolution targets, vacancies, hiring, digital courts, and a requested infrastructure catch-up plan. Officials emphasized the complexity of individual cases and described regional court management and digital systems as ways to support court operations.

- **Court facilities and proposed interventions:** Members pressed for progress on the Manila Hall of Justice, the two-building Cagayan de Oro judicial complex, and Sandiganbayan facilities. Design, procurement, safety, and staffing steps remain central to those projects; members expressed support or offered to pursue amendments, with requests kept distinct from approved appropriations.

- **Accountability and appellate review:** Members raised public concerns about corruption cases and judicial decisions. Judiciary officials said allegations of misconduct should be substantiated and brought to the proper forum; the Court of Appeals presented statistics on administrative appeals. The exchange kept those appeals separate from criminal bail decisions.

- **Agriculture cases and committee action:** The Court of Tax Appeals described its early work on cases under the Anti-Agriculture Economic Sabotage Act and new search-and-seizure procedures. At the close, the committee approved submission of the Judiciary budget to plenary with an unspecified allowance for increases; the motion did not quantify an appropriation change.

Reading note: Follow the timestamps to the reviewed transcript and official video. Figures retain their stated fiscal year and scope. The original DBM submission is not separately totaled; later augmentation requests and expressions of support remain distinct from the committee?s submission of the budget to plenary.

## Agency budget summary

### Principal FY2027 NEP proposal and FY2026 GAA comparison

The FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposal for the Judiciary was ₱86.271 billion, up ₱15.66 billion or 22% from the FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) amount of ₱70.611 billion. The presentation identified the Judiciary's original proposal as attached to or incorporated in the NEP, but did not separately state an original submission total to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The proposed components were: Supreme Court of the Philippines (SC) and lower courts, ₱73.837 billion; Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), ₱193.43 million, compared with its FY2026 GAA amount of ₱179.87 million; Court of Appeals (CA), ₱7.605 billion, compared with ₱6.092 billion; Sandiganbayan, ₱3.282 billion, compared with ₱2.723 billion; and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), ₱1.354 billion, compared with ₱1.127 billion. Later augmentation requests are presented separately in the main account and are not treated as the original DBM submission. Their stated total does not reconcile with the listed components.

[00:23:57 · asr-000214](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000214) · [00:24:26 · asr-000216](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000216) · [00:24:43 · asr-000217](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000217) · [00:24:56 · asr-000219](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000219) · [00:25:05 · asr-000220](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000220) · [00:25:19 · asr-000221](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000221) · [00:25:26 · asr-000222](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000222) · [00:25:38 · asr-000223](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000223) · [00:25:56 · asr-000225](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000225) · [00:26:11 · asr-000226](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000226)

## Judiciary budget

### Later augmentation request for unorganized courts

Separately from the presented FY2027 NEP proposal, Court Administrator Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta reported an augmentation request for lower courts, including ₱3,992,618,200 for the Supreme Court and 135 unorganized courts without a Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (NOSCA), plus ₱96 million for the Court of Appeals, ₱31 million for the Sandiganbayan, and ₱19,334,000 for the Court of Tax Appeals, for a stated total request of ₱4,068,952,200. These were additional funding requests, not amounts approved during the presentation. The component amounts and stated total are reported as given; they do not sum to the same amount.

[00:28:35 · asr-000255](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000255) · [00:28:50 · asr-000256](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000256) · [00:28:59 · asr-000258](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000258) · [00:29:07 · asr-000259](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000259) · [00:29:15 · asr-000260](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000260) · [00:29:22 · asr-000261](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000261)

### Appropriation changes by spending category and court

For the Supreme Court and lower courts, the proposed changes included a ₱3.859 billion increase in personal services and ₱3.246 billion increase in maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE); the speaker then said capital outlay decreased by ₱3.758 billion. She said the capital-outlay decline did not mean infrastructure or modernization was being scaled back: it principally reflected lower project-cost estimates after continued review of information-technology requirements and costing. She also described increases of ₱11.239 million in personal services and ₱2.320 million in MOOE for the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, and for the Court of Appeals increases of ₱522.731 million in personal services, ₱849.167 million in MOOE, and ₱140.890 million in capital outlay. For the Sandiganbayan, a ₱27.659 million personal-services decrease reflected recalculated requirements, not cuts to incumbent staff salaries or benefits; upgrading and reclassification and vacant-position filling would continue. For the Court of Tax Appeals she listed personal services of ₱123.052 million, MOOE of ₱108.159 million, and a ₱4.528 million capital-outlay decrease because solar panels budgeted previously were not carried into the current year. She characterized the court's overall increase as directed principally to personnel and operations and invoked the constitutional protection against reducing resources when measured against the prior year's appropriation.

[00:26:38 · asr-000229](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000229) · [00:26:59 · asr-000230](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000230) · [00:27:02 · asr-000232](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000232) · [00:27:09 · asr-000235](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000235) · [00:27:31 · asr-000243](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000243) · [00:29:29 · asr-000262](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000262) · [00:29:36 · asr-000263](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000263) · [00:29:50 · asr-000264](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000264) · [00:30:00 · asr-000265](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000265) · [00:30:11 · asr-000266](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000266) · [00:30:47 · asr-000272](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000272) · [00:31:05 · asr-000278](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000278)

### Judiciary Marshals funding

The Judiciary Marshals initiative was described as building judicial security, investigations and intelligence, legal services, and digital forensics to protect court facilities, personnel, and families. The speaker said its FY2026 GAA budget was ₱710 million and proposed ₱902.075 million for FY2027 to help fill plantilla vacancies.

[00:37:08 · asr-000337](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000337) · [00:37:40 · asr-000343](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000343) · [00:37:46 · asr-000344](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000344) · [00:37:54 · asr-000347](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000347)

### Fiscal autonomy and effective justice

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito said the judiciary needs control over its resources to remain independent and carry out its constitutional role. He pointed to the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act (Republic Act No. 12233), whose first implementation year coincides with the FY2027 proposed judiciary budget, and said each peso invested should reduce trial bottlenecks, modernize courthouses and deliver faster, accessible justice. He expressed full support for the judiciary.

[00:46:44 · asr-000449](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000449) · [00:47:03 · asr-000454](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000454) · [00:47:27 · asr-000458](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000458)

### Overloaded courts and a capacity study

Gomez-Estoesta cites 6,567 pending cases in Dasmariñas and says her office had asked the House to create more regional trial court branches and family courts; relocating the courts is under assessment, with land a constraint. She describes a Cabuyao judge handling more than 5,000 cases and other cities with heavy caseloads. Deputy Court Administrator Lilian C. Barribal-Co supplies further city totals, including 6,567 cases across three RTCs in Dasmariñas; Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan says that would imply 13 additional courts at the stated 500-case ideal, which Gomez-Estoesta confirms is an ideal calculation. Asked what investment is needed to reach the benchmarks, she says no formal cost study has been conducted; current work examines processes, digitization, stakeholder satisfaction and personnel engagement. She commits to study whether more courts, improved systems or both are needed. Senator Sherwin "Win" T. Gatchalian and Pangilinan request the study and cost estimate; no estimate is given in the exchange.

[00:51:25 · asr-000600](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000600) · [00:57:44 · asr-000663](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000663) · [00:58:51 · asr-000672](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000672) · [01:03:39 · asr-000755](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000755) · [01:05:09 · asr-000793](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000793)

### Judiciary funding and benchmarks

Pangilinan and Gatchalian argued that timely justice needs investment alongside operational reform. Pangilinan requested international benchmarks for justice spending as a share of gross domestic product, separating judiciary spending from the Department of Justice where possible. Gatchalian said the committee would await that study and basic statistics.

[01:06:00 · asr-000811](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000811) · [01:07:40 · asr-000850](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000850) · [01:06:36 · asr-000827](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000827)

### Halls of Justice funding and requested augmentation

Gatchalian points to locally funded projects falling from ₱9 billion in 2026 to about ₱2.4 billion in the proposal, including Halls of Justice construction falling from ₱2.6 billion to ₱200 million. The Court Administrator explains that the 2026 GAA included ₱2.688606 billion for the halls, including escalation costs but not Manila Hall of Justice construction. The original proposal added ₱200 million total for Cebu and Cagayan de Oro (₱100 million each); after recognizing higher escalation needs, the agency included an augmentation request for Cebu, while remaining conservative on Cagayan de Oro because its detailed estimate was not yet submitted. The Court Administrator confirms Manila Hall of Justice remains unfinished and says technical work, a Supreme Court committee and approval of the detailed engineering design are intended to move it forward. The agency described an augmentation request; no committee disposition is recorded.

[01:07:50 · asr-000855](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000855) · [01:08:05 · asr-000860](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000860) · [01:08:07 · asr-000861](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000861) · [01:08:20 · asr-000866](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000866) · [01:09:18 · asr-000891](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000891) · [01:09:46 · asr-000903](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000903) · [01:10:30 · asr-000924](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000924) · [01:10:32 · asr-000925](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000925) · [01:13:29 · asr-000998](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000998) · [01:13:33 · asr-001001](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001001) · [01:09:09 · asr-000886](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000886)

### Judicial innovation program reclassification

Gatchalian asks why the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations allocation fell. The Court Administrator gives the 2026 GAA amount as ₱5,159,275,000 and the proposal as ₱641,059,000, explaining that recurring expenses were reclassified from capital outlay to maintenance and other operating expenses, while nonrecurring costs were not repeated. She says this reflects recomputation and reprogramming, not a reduction in infrastructure projects. She confirms the program supports digitalization and information technology and has moved from a locally funded project to a regular MOOE item.

[01:08:23 · asr-000867](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000867) · [01:10:58 · asr-000937](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000937) · [01:11:04 · asr-000939](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000939) · [01:11:11 · asr-000941](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000941)

### Manila Hall of Justice readiness and construction delays

Ejercito asked why the Manila Hall of Justice remained delayed despite a stated ₱1.918 billion second-year funding amount. Gomez-Estoesta said a previously awarded contract was terminated after a technical computation error, the project was reposted after two failed biddings, and a consulting certifier engaged in the second half of 2024 was preparing the detailed architectural and engineering design (DAED). She said the project required disaster-resilient planning. Earlier in the round, she said the DAED was still in progress and Manila construction would remain deferred, while noting an earmarked budget for the Manila Hall of Justice. She confirmed Cagayan de Oro and Cebu had requests of ₱100 million each. Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez urged funding for Manila and said the Building Committee had promised the design would be nearly finished by year-end; Ejercito expressed support for Manila as the capital and a showcase of governance. Ejercito offered support once requirements were fulfilled.

[01:15:00 · asr-001023](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001023) · [01:15:09 · asr-001024](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001024) · [01:16:13 · asr-001038](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001038) · [01:21:57 · asr-001140](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001140) · [01:22:07 · asr-001141](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001141) · [01:22:52 · asr-001157](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001157)

### DBM ceiling and judiciary proposal

Ejercito cited the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)'s recommended FY2027 ceiling of about ₱77 billion and a ₱9.17 billion gap from the judiciary's proposal. He asked which programs would be affected. Gomez-Estoesta said a reduction would affect staff salary upgrading and reclassification, as well as rehabilitation or replacement of aging court buildings.

[01:18:47 · asr-001090](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001090) · [01:18:59 · asr-001092](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001092) · [01:19:40 · asr-001101](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001101)

### Vehicle acquisition and distribution

Ejercito cited ₱314 million for 100 vehicles and asked how they would be distributed among courts. Gomez-Estoesta agreed to submit distribution data. She clarified that the replacement program covered the Supreme Court and appellate courts, while lower courts generally rely on local government units for service vehicles.

[01:24:41 · asr-001185](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001185) · [01:25:49 · asr-001198](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001198) · [01:26:02 · asr-001203](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001203) · [01:26:25 · asr-001209](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001209)

### Vacancies, personnel reclassification, and appointments

Ejercito asked how the Supreme Court would fill 12,827 vacancies, linking staffing shortages to congestion and trial delays. Gomez-Estoesta said the judiciary's regional court managers could share personnel records and 201 files and conduct regional selection for court personnel, accelerating appointments. Judges remain subject to Judicial and Bar Council screening and presidential appointment. Ejercito also cited requests of ₱4.47 billion for position reclassification and ₱608 million for new positions, asking whether formal resolutions had been submitted to DBM. Gomez-Estoesta said costs had been projected, but process mapping and plantilla review were ongoing and being fast-tracked by a committee; the Sandiganbayan had submitted a consultant's report that could inform its own reorganization review. The review remained ongoing.

[01:33:35 · asr-001360](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001360) · [01:33:57 · asr-001371](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001371) · [01:34:48 · asr-001397](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001397) · [01:34:51 · asr-001399](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001399) · [01:34:54 · asr-001400](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001400) · [01:35:11 · asr-001409](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001409) · [01:33:26 · asr-001355](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001355) · [01:35:05 · asr-001405-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001405-split-2)

### Optional retirement provision and utilization

Ejercito asked how many staff might avail of the proposed ₱4.09 billion optional-retirement provision. Gomez-Estoesta said judges and court personnel must file their intent by January each year so the expected cost can be included in the budget, and confirmed the judiciary had projected an amount. Ejercito then raised his concern about utilization and unused appropriations, while saying the judiciary had a very good utilization rate. Her answer confirmed a cost projection but did not give the requested headcount.

[01:35:56 · asr-001428](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001428) · [01:35:58 · asr-001429](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001429) · [01:36:08 · asr-001434](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001434)

### Sandiganbayan funding and Building 2

Gatchalian objects to the DBM recommendation to reduce the Sandiganbayan budget, describing the proposed cut as ₱500–550 million and later as ₱551 million. He argues the court needs capacity and staff for its heavy caseload and manifests support for more resources. Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith A. Econg says capital outlay rises from ₱300 million to ₱719 million for a planned Sandiganbayan Building 2. Technical studies found deficient columns and structural-integrity concerns in the current building, putting justices, staff and court users at risk; the site is about 1.2 kilometers from the nearest fault line. The Commission on Audit allowed use of nearly 5,000 square meters for another building. The new facility is intended to provide hearing rooms for all divisions, which currently share courtrooms; Econg says it is planned to have seven. Gatchalian says he will support requirements that enable simultaneous hearings.

[01:37:47 · asr-001482](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001482) · [01:37:49 · asr-001483](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001483) · [01:38:30 · asr-001503](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001503) · [01:39:20 · asr-001517](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001517) · [01:39:23 · asr-001518](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001518)

### Adjudication funding and case-resolution targets

Ejercito asked how the proposed increase in the Supreme Court and lower courts' adjudication budget—to nearly ₱41 billion—could be justified alongside a lower FY2027 case-resolution target of 690,622, compared with 702,000 cases actually resolved in FY2025. Gomez-Estoesta said case duration and outcomes vary with the number of witnesses, accused, defense lawyers, and motions, so annual targets cannot capture each court's caseload complexity. She said performance assessment also considers internal processes and the satisfaction of internal and external stakeholders, rather than relying only on case counts.

[02:01:29 · asr-001891](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001891) · [02:01:43 · asr-001896](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001896) · [02:01:45 · asr-001897](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001897) · [02:02:10 · asr-001909](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001909)

### Support for Judiciary funding and facilities

Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri expressed full support for the Judiciary’s budget and said it could be increased. He argued that inadequate facilities and infrastructure also delay justice and called for the support the courts need.

[02:14:13 · asr-002259](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002259) · [02:14:29 · asr-002267](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002267) · [02:14:34 · asr-002270](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002270)

### Structural safety and interim support

A private firm’s study, confirmed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), found structural defects in the Sandiganbayan building. Econg said repairs would cost about ₱400 million, but hearings could not stop while work was done. The court planned to continue occupying the unsafe building while building a replacement; Econg said renting elsewhere would add fit-out and relocation costs and disrupt case processing. Pangilinan asked whether a 500 million new-building request was before the committee, but Econg did not confirm that amount in this exchange. Associate Justice Michael Frederick L. Musngi said the special court would send its needs through the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA). Pangilinan’s office offered to consider additional interventions during budget deliberations.

[02:18:23 · asr-002342](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002342) · [02:18:38 · asr-002346](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002346) · [02:19:08 · asr-002353](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002353) · [02:19:24 · asr-002357](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002357) · [02:20:03 · asr-002367](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002367) · [02:21:32 · asr-002388](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002388) · [02:22:04 · asr-002396](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002396)

### Cagayan de Oro Court of Appeals and lower-court complex

Zubiri asked about a permanent Court of Appeals building in Cagayan de Oro, recalling that he had first thought the earlier institutional amendment was ₱200 million or ₱250 million. He later clarified that the FY2021–2022 amendment was ₱300 million for the whole complex. Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Fernanda C. Lampas Peralta said a 2012 Supreme Court resolution had allocated funds from existing savings for courthouses including Cagayan de Oro, but the Court of Appeals building was not part of the current proposed augmentation; Cebu was included. Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez explained that the Cagayan de Oro judicial complex comprises two buildings, one for the Court of Appeals and one for lower courts. A detailed architectural and engineering design (DAED) was already available for the lower-court building, and the designs were being matched. He hoped to complete the DAED before year-end and begin procurement for works contractors for both buildings the following year. Zubiri offered to make an institutional amendment if more funds were needed. Marquez said the judiciary had requested Cagayan de Oro augmentation and allowances at the House and would do so at the Senate; no Senate amendment was adopted in this exchange.

[02:22:26 · asr-002405](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002405) · [02:22:34 · asr-002406](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002406) · [02:23:44 · asr-002419](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002419) · [02:26:10 · asr-002453](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002453) · [02:26:33 · asr-002460](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002460) · [02:27:14 · asr-002468](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002468) · [02:27:24 · asr-002471](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002471) · [02:29:33 · asr-002531](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002531) · [02:29:35 · asr-002532](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002532)

### DBM comment, funding gap, and judiciary priorities

Pangilinan cited a ₱9.17 billion gap between DBM's recommendation and the judiciary's augmentation request, which would grow if Zubiri's Cagayan de Oro proposal were added. He asked the judiciary to identify its priorities if fiscal space could not cover all requests. Gomez-Estoesta said the Cagayan de Oro item was not included and that the MOOE was the only item included, then promised to submit the judiciary's priorities, especially for infrastructure. She said the judiciary had not received DBM's comment and needed it to prepare its response. DBM budget official Merika Joanna S. Dela Peña-Pangan said the law requires DBM's comments to be attached to the NEP and does not specify furnishing them directly to the Supreme Court, while acknowledging that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) do. She said DBM understood that the Senate President's and House Speaker's offices had received copies and advised the judiciary to obtain one from those offices. Gomez-Estoesta said the judiciary expected to receive a copy because the comment's funding gap could affect its proposal and that even one copy would suffice. Pangilinan said he would raise the matter with DBM. The judiciary's prioritized submission remained outstanding in this exchange.

[02:27:45 · asr-002481](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002481) · [02:27:53 · asr-002483](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002483) · [02:28:39 · asr-002501](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002501) · [02:29:03 · asr-002514](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002514) · [02:30:07 · asr-002545](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002545) · [02:30:19 · asr-002547](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002547) · [02:30:28 · asr-002549](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002549) · [02:30:41 · asr-002553](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002553) · [02:31:29 · asr-002576](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002576)

### Vacancies and requests for additional funding

Pangilinan questioned how requests for new positions and added appropriations fit with the Judiciary’s reported 30% vacancy rate. Citing ₱58 billion in personnel services, he offered a rough, unconfirmed estimate that ₱10–15 billion might correspond to vacancies and savings. Gomez-Estoesta explained that vacancies include posts left by promotions, resignations, retirement or death, as well as newly created, unorganized courts awaiting DBM staffing authorization; existing court staff still require funding. She identified 319 temporary judge vacancies awaiting appointment and 170 positions in unorganized courts, 489 in total. Pangilinan requested a written breakdown to support budget deliberations, and Gomez-Estoesta agreed to provide one.

[02:31:47 · asr-002584](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002584) · [02:32:03 · asr-002587](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002587) · [02:32:19 · asr-002593](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002593) · [02:32:42 · asr-002597](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002597) · [02:33:32 · asr-002611](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002611) · [02:35:10 · asr-002637](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002637) · [02:37:12 · asr-002682](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002682)

### Fiscal-autonomy rules and the JDF transition

Pangilinan asked when the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act’s implementing rules would be finalized and whether the transition from the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) to the Judiciary Trust Fund would finish that year. Gomez-Estoesta said the transition was addressed in the rules and that the JDF’s existing 80–20 arrangement would change, but the Judiciary could explain its plan only after the rules were issued. She confirmed a ₱18 billion JDF balance in response to Pangilinan’s question; he separately referred to ₱26 billion and ₱23 billion in disbursements over nearly 20 years.

[02:37:45 · asr-002695](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002695) · [02:38:12 · asr-002705](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002705) · [02:38:31 · asr-002714](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002714) · [02:38:57 · asr-002721](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002721) · [02:39:00 · asr-002722](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002722) · [02:39:00 · asr-002723](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002723) · [02:39:08 · asr-002724](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002724)

### Regional courts and search-and-seizure rules

CTA Associate Justice Jean Marie A. Bacorro-Villena said the law permits new CTA courts in the Visayas and Mindanao, but the court was not pursuing them yet because filings remained minimal. She said CTA rules for search warrants and seizure orders took effect July 1 to make filing applications easier. After Pangilinan described agricultural smuggling as a threat to farmers, food security and food safety, she agreed; he said his office would consider budget augmentation if the CTA needed support.

[02:43:14 · asr-002780](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002780) · [02:43:24 · asr-002785](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002785) · [02:45:18 · asr-002804](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002804) · [02:45:40 · asr-002807](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002807) · [02:46:50 · asr-002820](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002820)

### Judiciary budget submitted to plenary

Zubiri moved to approve at committee level the budgets of the Supreme Court, Court of Tax Appeals, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and attached agencies, with an allowance for increasing their budgets. Pangilinan said the motion was duly seconded and that the Judiciary budget was submitted to plenary. The committee hearing was then suspended. No quantified increase was adopted in this motion.

[02:47:16 · asr-002827](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002827) · [02:47:20 · asr-002828](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002828) · [02:47:28 · asr-002829](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002829) · [02:47:36 · asr-002832](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002832) · [02:47:38 · asr-002833](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002833) · [02:48:18 · asr-002838](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002838)

## Judiciary opening remarks

### A strong and independent judiciary

Gomez-Estoesta thanked Pangilinan for sponsoring the judiciary’s budget. She said access to justice, the rule of law, good governance and accountability depend on a strong, independent judiciary, and described justice as needing to be accessible, timely, credible and responsive.

[00:20:19 · asr-000160](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000160) · [00:20:56 · asr-000173](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000173)

### Restoring public trust

Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian briefly interrupted Gomez-Estoesta’s opening remarks to support the judiciary. He said public trust in government depends on its branches functioning, backed support for an efficient justice system and accountability over corruption, and urged the judiciary to share the goal of restoring public trust. Pangilinan then returned the floor to Gomez-Estoesta to continue her presentation.

[00:21:46 · asr-000187](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000187) · [00:22:48 · asr-000201](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000201)

## Judiciary presentation

### Digital services and justice coordination

The judiciary described eCourt PH and the Philippine Judiciary Platform, voice-to-text transcription support, cloud and connectivity infrastructure, and systems for financial and human-resource management, procurement, electronic payments, online learning, and case and court-facility management. Access initiatives included a unified legal-aid service portal, e-notarization, and online services for the bar and justice-sector stakeholders. Under the Justice Sector Coordinating Council's Justice Convergence Program, local justice zones bring criminal-justice institutions together to identify delays and develop local solutions. The presentation said 20 justice zones had been developed and gave examples focused on trafficking, economic development and tourism, environmental protection, and online sexual exploitation of children.

[00:34:39 · asr-000311](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000311) · [00:35:34 · asr-000320](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000320) · [00:36:14 · asr-000327](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000327) · [00:36:38 · asr-000332](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000332)

### Case disposition and court administration reforms

Gomez-Estoesta said courts were exceeding case-disposal targets, with reported accomplishment rates from 85% to 290%, while cautioning that these figures measure productivity rather than overall performance. The Supreme Court was piloting a high-performance-courts framework that also considers internal processes, decision quality, court-user satisfaction, and employee engagement. She described professionalizing and decentralizing court administration through regional court managers so judges and court staff can focus on adjudication while administrative and operational needs receive dedicated support. The Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) was presented as a roadmap covering technology, court management, case processing, resource administration, and public services; the regional managers' work showed a shift from planning to implementation.

[00:31:51 · asr-000287](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000287) · [00:32:04 · asr-000290](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000290) · [00:32:35 · asr-000293](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000293) · [00:33:09 · asr-000298](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000298) · [00:33:59 · asr-000305](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000305)

### Bar examinations, halls of justice, and court staffing

The Supreme Court said the September 2026 bar examination had 14,291 applicants and 15 local testing centers: seven in the National Capital Region, three in Luzon, three in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao; one examination day remained at the time of the presentation. The May 2026 Shari'a special bar examinations had 1,055 applicants and four local testing centers. Of those, 796 completed the exam and 235 passed, a 29.52% pass rate. The judiciary said halls of justice provide secure, accessible facilities, including courtrooms, chambers, waiting areas, and spaces for vulnerable litigants. It reported 34 projects under procurement and 27 under implementation across new construction, repairs, rehabilitation, and refurbishment. She linked the request to open unorganized courts without NOSCA to staffing needs across 489 organized and unorganized courts.

[00:39:18 · asr-000361](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000361) · [00:39:53 · asr-000367](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000367) · [00:40:00 · asr-000368](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000368) · [00:41:07 · asr-000380](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000380) · [00:44:08 · asr-000419](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000419)

### Judicial appointments and judicial education

The Judicial and Bar Council described its screening process for judicial applicants, from deliberation and interviews through psychological evaluation and final deliberation. In FY2025 it processed 5,971 applications, with 1,127 nominees shortlisted; in FY2026 it processed 9,793 applications, with 1,983 shortlisted. The Philippine Judicial Academy reported 52 trainings, programs, and activities with 8,466 judge and court-personnel participants. Many activities were delivered asynchronously to reach court staff across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao from its Tagaytay headquarters.

[00:44:49 · asr-000428](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000428) · [00:44:54 · asr-000429](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000429) · [00:45:00 · asr-000430](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000430) · [00:45:08 · asr-000431](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000431) · [00:45:27 · asr-000434](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000434)

## Opening priorities

### Corruption and delayed justice

In his opening statement, Pangilinan connected public anger over corruption with confidence in the justice system. Citing a 2025 Sandiganbayan conviction of two former Department of Agriculture officials over an anomalous fertilizer purchase, he questioned how a corruption case that took 21 years from filing to conviction could deter corruption or deliver timely justice. He said the public expects courts to act swiftly, fairly and impartially, and urged accountability within the judiciary while describing reports of case-fixing and payments as unverified.

[00:13:25 · asr-000065](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000065) · [00:14:54 · asr-000104](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000104) · [00:15:06 · asr-000106](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000106) · [00:17:29 · asr-000139](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000139)

### The judiciary’s role and resources

Pangilinan pledged to defend the judiciary?s budget and argued that timely, accessible justice requires sufficient resources. He urged the courts to use those resources to improve the system, clear innocent people promptly and hold the guilty accountable, including powerful officials.

[00:16:49 · asr-000123](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000123) · [00:18:51 · asr-000149](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000149) · [00:19:33 · asr-000153](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000153)

## Senator Sherwin "Win" T. Gatchalian

### Court workloads and performance measures

Gatchalian commends the judiciary’s reported budget utilization—98% in 2024 and 99% in 2025—but asks how accomplishment rates above 100% can coexist with crowded urban courts and uneven caseloads. He requests caseload data by court level, city and municipality, plus a needs matrix to guide proposals for additional courts. Gomez-Estoesta says the ideal caseload is 300 for first-level courts and 500 for second-level courts, while judges, particularly in the National Capital Judicial Region, handle more. She distinguishes the 142% accomplishment rate (disposals against target disposals) from the 56% disposition rate (disposals against total case inputs), and agrees to submit city-level data unavailable during the hearing.

[00:48:51 · asr-000469](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000469) · [00:53:25 · asr-000613-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000613-split-2) · [00:55:32 · asr-000630-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-000630-split-2)

### Flood-control prosecutions and timely disposition

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito says flood-control corruption cases have heightened public demand for accountability and transparency and asks the Sandiganbayan to help restore trust through timely justice, with legislative support for its budget. Econg reports that the Ombudsman filed the first flood-control case on November 18, 2025; it had reached the defense stage in less than a year. She says 26 cases had been filed, including against senators and congressmen. The earliest and cases involving co-accused were in the defense stage; one case was archived because an accused could not be located. Econg says that under the Supreme Court’s Speedy Trial Act a case may be disposed of within a year by conviction or acquittal, and Gatchalian acknowledges both outcomes. No conviction or final disposition of these flood-control cases is reported.

[01:46:25 · asr-001699](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001699) · [01:46:28 · asr-001700](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001700) · [01:46:41 · asr-001701](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001701) · [01:46:58 · asr-001702](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001702) · [01:47:03 · asr-001703](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001703) · [01:47:35 · asr-001710](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001710) · [01:48:06 · asr-001715](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001715) · [01:48:23 · asr-001716](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001716) · [01:48:28 · asr-001717](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001717) · [01:48:38 · asr-001718](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001718) · [01:48:42 · asr-001719](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001719) · [01:48:46 · asr-001720](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001720) · [01:48:54 · asr-001722](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001722) · [01:48:58 · asr-001723](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001723) · [01:49:13 · asr-001727](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001727) · [01:49:21 · asr-001728](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001728) · [01:49:28 · asr-001730](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001730) · [01:49:30 · asr-001731](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001731) · [01:49:38 · asr-001733](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001733) · [01:49:44 · asr-001734](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001734) · [01:49:59 · asr-001735](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001735) · [01:50:01 · asr-001736](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001736) · [01:50:03 · asr-001737](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001737) · [01:50:08 · asr-001738](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001738) · [01:50:16 · asr-001739](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001739)

### Conviction rates and faster trials

Econg reports an 82.48% Sandiganbayan conviction rate for 2026 to date, compared with 39.43% in 2025 and lower reported rates in earlier years. Pangilinan asks about the increase; Econg cites prosecutor preparation and the value of trying cases sooner while witnesses remain available, prepared and remember events. She agrees delay can mean witnesses die, become unavailable or face pressure. She says the court is pursuing speedy disposition, but Pangilinan cautions that 2026 is not over and the rate could rise or fall. Gatchalian says resources should support capacity, and Econg says the result must follow the evidence.

[01:43:36 · asr-001641](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001641) · [01:43:38 · asr-001642](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001642) · [01:43:40 · asr-001643](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001643) · [01:44:26 · asr-001664](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001664) · [01:45:02 · asr-001681](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001681) · [01:58:39 · asr-001828](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001828) · [01:59:08 · asr-001834](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001834)

### Corruption perceptions, court credibility and public access

Gatchalian cites Corruption Perceptions Index rankings of 117 in 2001 and 120 in 2025, and says local business confidence had fallen into negative territory. He asks how the judiciary can address corruption perceptions and accountability. Econg explains that Transparency International’s index uses several parameters; the judiciary can contribute through speedy resolution and a credible, fair and ethical court system, but has only a limited role in the broader measure. She says Sandiganbayan case assignments and hearings are accessible online so the public can follow cases and assess impartiality, and that the court works within Supreme Court decision timelines. Econg also says the Sandiganbayan has moved to reorganize staffing to respond to filed cases.

[01:50:38 · asr-001746](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001746) · [01:50:46 · asr-001747](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001747) · [01:51:27 · asr-001754](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001754) · [01:52:50 · asr-001768](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001768) · [01:54:59 · asr-001789](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001789) · [01:55:22 · asr-001792](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001792)

## Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito

### Backlogs, catch-up planning, and digital courts

Ejercito cited uneven 2025 results—the Supreme Court's 23% disposition rate against a 38% target, the Court of Tax Appeals' 56% against 79.8%, and Sandiganbayan processing 1,587 cases against a 5,640 target—and asked how the proposed FY2027 budget would address bottlenecks and backlogs. He requested a catch-up plan for infrastructure and digitalization, ideally starting in 2027. Gomez-Estoesta said the Supreme Court Statistics and Records Division could prepare the requested plan. She described e-courts as still in pilot, requiring software and systems as well as equipment; she said digitalization was midway. Asked what improvement could be expected, she said a court handling 5,000 cases might meet an 80% or even 90% disposal target if it followed the high-performance-courts parameters. Ejercito offered to look for fiscal space to augment resources if the backlog problem could be addressed.

[01:29:10 · asr-001245](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001245) · [01:29:15 · asr-001246](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001246) · [01:29:22 · asr-001247](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001247) · [01:30:18 · asr-001263](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001263) · [01:31:38 · asr-001303](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001303) · [01:32:23 · asr-001325](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001325) · [01:28:42 · asr-001239](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001239)

### Ombudsman criticism and the Supreme Court's response

Ejercito read a media question about Ombudsman Remulla's public criticism of justices who allegedly voided corruption-case decisions and granted bail to officials accused of non-bailable offenses. Gomez-Estoesta clarified that the Supreme Court statement she was citing concerned Court of Appeals reversals of administrative cases under Rule 43, not bail in non-bailable criminal cases. The statement welcomed scrutiny but said allegations of misconduct, corruption, or irregularity should be substantiated and brought before the proper forum rather than made as general public claims. The two issues remained distinct in the exchange.

[02:03:35 · asr-001952](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001952) · [02:04:21 · asr-001975](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001975) · [02:04:39 · asr-001984](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-001984) · [02:05:12 · asr-002001](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002001)

### Court of Appeals statistics on Ombudsman appeals

Peralta presented figures for 683 cases appealed from 2021 to the hearing date under Rule 43 or Rule 65: 18% were reversed and 559 (82%) were affirmed. Of 87 applications for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, the Court of Appeals granted six and did not grant the other 81. Gomez-Estoesta separately cited 13 reversals among 286 administrative cases for January?July 2026. Ejercito said the committee would try to retain funding while addressing congestion and the concerns raised by the Chair and Senate President.

[02:05:31 · asr-002010](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002010) · [02:06:17 · asr-002029](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002029) · [02:06:35 · asr-002038](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002038) · [02:06:45 · asr-002043](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002043) · [02:07:10 · asr-002055](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002055) · [02:07:22 · asr-002061](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002061) · [02:07:52 · asr-002075](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002075) · [02:08:10 · asr-002085](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002085) · [02:08:14 · asr-002087](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002087) · [02:08:56 · asr-002107](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002107)

## Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan

### Sandiganbayan case duration and docket

Pangilinan asked how long Sandiganbayan cases remained pending and requested the court’s caseload history. After Pangilinan referred to a 15-year figure mentioned at an earlier Ombudsman hearing, Lopez answered that the shelf life was about nine to ten years; Pangilinan suggested that might describe the period through the previous year.

[02:09:32 · asr-002124](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002124) · [02:10:25 · asr-002150](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002150) · [02:10:33 · asr-002151](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002151)

### Pending cases fell as filings also declined

Econg reported 1,229 pending cases at December 31, 2024, 805 at December 31, 2025, and 535 as of June 2026. She said the earliest caseload data prepared for the hearing showed 5,237 cases in 2019. Pangilinan asked whether the falling docket also reflected fewer new filings; Econg agreed recent filings were lower than in earlier years and supplied counts of 97 cases in 2025 and 41 so far in 2026 as of the hearing. Pangilinan asked for the filing data alongside the pending docket to assess the change.

[02:10:54 · asr-002161](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002161) · [02:12:36 · asr-002211](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002211) · [02:12:54 · asr-002220](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002220) · [02:13:17 · asr-002231-split-2](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002231-split-2)

### Case duration and conviction rate

Econg said the average case shelf life had fallen from 20 years to 15 and now averaged nine years. She clarified that the 82% conviction rate applied to the 356 cases disposed so far that year, not the 535 cases pending. Pangilinan suggested public pressure after the flood-control scandal might have influenced convictions, while explicitly framing that link as speculation.

[02:15:09 · asr-002288](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002288) · [02:15:31 · asr-002293](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002293) · [02:15:55 · asr-002302](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002302) · [02:16:05 · asr-002305](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002305) · [02:16:34 · asr-002315](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002315) · [02:17:20 · asr-002328](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002328)

### CTA cases under the agricultural-sabotage law

Pangilinan asked what support the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) needed to enforce the Anti-Agriculture Economic Sabotage Act. Bacorro-Villena said about 16 cases were pending hearing; the first was filed in March 2026 and a decision was expected in October. She said the law makes offenses involving more than ₱10 million non-bailable, that the CTA had denied bail petitions and that defendants, including alleged importers or owners in cases before her division, were detained. Pangilinan’s suggestion that the flood-control scandal may have affected accountability was not evidence of a cause in these cases.

[02:41:13 · asr-002752](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002752) · [02:41:25 · asr-002755](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002755) · [02:41:42 · asr-002759](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002759) · [02:42:13 · asr-002766](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002766) · [02:42:51 · asr-002774](https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/49/#asr-002774)