The judiciary’s budget is set to increase by 22.2 percent to P86.27 billion under the proposed 2027 national budget with a large portion earmarked for court operations and the administration of justice.
The Department of Budget and Management said the proposed allocation is P15.7 billion higher than the P70.6-billion budget approved for the judiciary under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
The judiciary is among the 10 government departments and sectors receiving the largest allocations under the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 National Expenditure Program.
The Supreme Court’s original budget proposal was also incorporated into the proposed 2027 NEP in line with the judiciary’s constitutional independence and fiscal autonomy.
During a Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing before the Senate, DBM scting Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the inclusion of the SC’s original proposal recognized the judiciary’s constitutional mandate.
“Consistent with the constitutional principle of judicial independence and the provisions of the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act, the Supreme Court’s original budget proposal has been incorporated into the FY 2027 NEP, recognizing the Judiciary’s fiscal autonomy and constitutional mandate,” De Leon said.
Of the proposed P86.27-billion judiciary budget, P45.90 billion will go to the adjudication program, which covers the personnel and operational requirements of the SC and lower courts as well as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals and Court of Tax Appeals.
The allocation is P10.45 billion, or 29.48 percent, higher than the judiciary’s adjudication allocation under the 2026 GAA.
Another P4.73 billion is earmarked for the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, the judiciary’s framework for modernizing court operations and improving the delivery of judicial services.
The proposed budget also includes P200 million for the construction of Halls of Justice in Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City under the Justice System Infrastructure Program.
The program addresses shortages and deficiencies in court facilities through the construction, completion, repair and rehabilitation of Halls of Justice and judges’ quarters nationwide.
The judiciary is part of the General Public Services sector, which has the third-largest sectoral allocation in the proposed 2027 budget at P1.467 trillion.#