Manila: The Supreme Court is working to complete the design requirements for the long-delayed Manila Hall of Justice by the end of the year, as senators raised concern over a project that has remained unfinished for decades. During the Senate hearing on the Judiciary's proposed 2027 budget, Supreme Court Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez said the Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design (DAED) for the Manila Hall of Justice is being pushed forward. "We are pushing with the DAED. We can be almost finished with it by the end of the year," Lopez told senators.
According to Philippines News Agency, the update came after Senate President Win Gatchalian questioned why the Judiciary's infrastructure allocation dropped from PHP2.6 billion to PHP200 million. "Bakit siya bumaba? Ang laki ng binaba (Why did it go down? The decrease is huge)," Gatchalian said. Court Administrator Theresa Gomez-Estoesta stated the reduction was about 92 percent, explaining that last year's allocation covered three big-ticket projects: the Manila Hall of Justice, the Court of Appeals, and the Halls of Justice in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. For 2027, she said the Judiciary took a conservative approach and included only Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, with PHP100 million each, while the Manila project remains deferred because its DAED is still being finalized.
"Hopefully po, hopefully po, the DAED will be approved soon because we're really fast-tracking it, Your Honor," Gomez-Estoesta said. She mentioned that the Supreme Court has already created a committee to fast-track the project, which has been delayed due to technical requirements needed to make it project-ready. Lopez recalled that the Manila Hall of Justice had its first groundbreaking in 1992 when he was still a first-time city councilor. "After almost 25 years, we have yet to see talaga (really) the building being constructed," he said.
Senator Joseph Victor 'JV' Ejercito remarked that the project is long overdue and should be supported once all requirements are completed, noting that a new justice hall could help decongest courts in the capital city. "Manila is the capital city and should be the showcase of governance," Ejercito said. Senator Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan also recalled serving as a Quezon City councilor in 1992, expressing hope that the project would finally move beyond repeated groundbreakings and proceed to construction.
Gomez-Estoesta clarified that there is already an earmarked budget for the Manila Hall of Justice, while Lopez appealed for additional funding should the DAED be completed on schedule. The Judiciary is seeking possible augmentation for its infrastructure program as it pursues court facilities in major cities, including Manila, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.
Following the discussions, the Senate Finance Subcommittee G approved for plenary consideration the Judiciary's proposed PHP86.271-billion budget for 2027. Pangilinan said the Judiciary must use its allocation to clear delays and ensure that justice is delivered fairly regardless of wealth, power, or influence. "To be honest, our ordinary countrymen are asking for very simple justice: swift, fair, accessible, and not afraid of those in power or those with strong influence," Pangilinan said.
Gomez-Estoesta said the Judiciary shares the goal of making justice more responsive to the public. "We share the belief that justice must not only be available, it must be accessible, timely, credible, responsive, and independent," she said. The proposed 2027 Judiciary budget is PHP86.271 billion, up by PHP15.66 billion or 22 percent from the PHP70.611 billion allocation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act. Of the total, PHP73.837 billion is proposed for the Supreme Court and lower courts, PHP7.605 billion for the Court of Appeals, PHP3.282 billion for the Sandiganbayan, PHP1.354 billion for the Court of Tax Appeals, and PHP193.43 million for the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
The Judiciary also sought PHP4.069 billion in augmentation, mainly to support newly created but still unorganized courts, including 135 courts without Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action funding. Ejercito backed the Judiciary's fiscal autonomy but said public funds must directly improve court services. "While we advocate judicial independence as our basic principle, still, we want to ensure that every peso invested in our justice system directly reduces trial bottlenecks, modernizes our courthouses, and delivers swift, accessible justice to every Filipino," Ejercito said.
The proposed budget marks the first year of implementation of Republic Act No. 12233, or the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act, which grants the judicial branch greater control over its resources to carry out its constitutional mandate. Gatchalian also expressed support for the Judiciary and asked the Supreme Court to submit data on judges' caseloads to help senators assess where new trial courts may be needed. "That is why we are here to support you. However, it is also crucial to ensure that everyone supports our shared goal of restoring the people's trust in government," Gatchalian said.
Gomez-Estoesta said many courts are already exceeding case disposal targets, with accomplishment rates ranging from 85 percent to 290 percent, while the Supreme Court is piloting a high-performance courts framework that will measure not only output but also internal processes, decision quality, court-user satisfaction, and employee engagement. She said the Judiciary is also implementing reforms under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations, including eCourt PH, the Philippine Judiciary Platform, artificial intelligence-assisted voice-to-text transcription, cloud infrastructure, electronic payments, online learning, and case and court facility management systems.
On infrastructure, Gomez-Estoesta said the Judiciary has 34 halls of justice projects under procurement and 27 under project implementation or management, covering new construction, repairs and rehabilitation, and refurbishment of office spaces. The Judiciary also reported continuing work to strengthen the Office of the Judiciary Marshals, which handles threat assessment, investigation, forensic analysis, and protection of court facilities, personnel, and their families. The Judiciary's budget will next be taken up in plenary, where senators may introduce amendments before the chamber acts on the proposed national budget.
