Diokno: Andaya is free to file case of mandamus before SC
Credit to Author: jvicente| Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2019 03:05:18 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno remained unfazed on Tuesday by a possible case he may face, saying House Majority Leader Rolandao Andaya Jr. is free to file a a case for mandamus before the Supreme Court regarding the scheduled salary increase of government employees.
“This is a free country. He can file a case for mandamus in the SC if he wants. Nobody can stop him,” Diokno told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
READ: Andaya to sue Diokno if DBM fails to hike gov’t workers’ salary by Jan. 15
Andaya, in a statement, said he there was no reason for the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) not to implement the salary hike by January 15, citing that reenacted budget “covers the needed funding for the salary increases.”
The lawmaker said “the President’s decision to extend the 2018 budget under Joint Resolution No. 3 also gives DBM more spending authority.”
Diokno had earlier said the fourth and last tranche of salary increases under the Salary Standardization Law of government workers would need to be deferred pending the passage of the P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019. /jpv