Supreme Court (SC) Administrator Midas Marquez testified before the House Committee on Justice on the delays being experienced by aging spouses of deceased justices and judges as they claim their retirement benefits.
This happened after Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno approved the creation of two technical working groups and a special committee that screened the applications.
Marquez believes the formation of these bureaucratic layers was unjust and detrimental to the beneficiaries.
He recalled that in the past, applications for retirement benefits would be approved within 2 to 3 weeks.
But after several panels were formed, the approvals were delayed by two years.
He cited the cases of 29 applicants whose ages ranged from 80 to 98.
Marquez stressed the need for the applicants to be able to pay for their urgent medical needs.
Complainant Lorenzo Gadon said this proves Sereno has no sense of urgency.
Marquez could not understand why a committee and 2 technical working groups had to be formed when the Supreme Court en banc had previously approved without any delay the applications of 271 other surviving spouses.
The SC Administrator testified at the hearing of the House Committee on Justice which is tackling the impeachment complaint against Sereno.
The surviving spouses are receiving retirement benefits through Republic Act 9946 that took effect on February 11, 2010.