Time for marriage counseling

Harsh words were recently exchanged between between the Philippine Supreme Court and Malacanang over the Aquino administration's plan to "reduce" the judiciary's budget (see my most recent post on the controversy here). The Philippine Judges Association has come out yesterday to express their support for Chief Justice Corona. For his part, the chief justice said, "There is no intense quarrel happening. I'm just setting things straight." Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone has urged both parties to convene the Judicial Executive Legislative Advisory and Consultative Council (JELACC) in order to work through their differences. It's not yet clear whether most of this debate is hollow posturing or whether the animosity could actually affect the Court's work. Stay tuned...