DESEO, CATHERINE P.

ENRILE, ROCHELLE S.
LAS MARIAS, SHEILA MAE R.
RIVERA, SHIELA LYN L.
VALDEZ, VIA MARIE ANGELA M.
College of Law – 1F

KATARUNGANG PAMBARANGAY: HARMONIZING THE COMMUNITY

THROUGH A JUST, SPEEDY AND INEXPENSIVE AMICABLE SETTLEMENT

Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) is an ancient Filipino custom of dispute resolution

by amicable settlement between disputing members of the family or of the barangay during
the pre-Spanish era1.

In recognition of the successful implementation of KP in the past years, it was further

strengthened and revitalized through a revised KP Law which was incorporated in the
Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 which took effect on January
1, 1992. The Code brings together all major legislation concerning local governments, which
includes the KP Law, with significant amendments. In particular, the Revised KP provisions
are now found in Sections 399 - 422 of Chapter 7, Title One, Book III; Sections 388 and 393
of Book II; and Section 515, Book IV of the said Code.

Relative thereto, the Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) is an annual

awards program that recognizes outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa whereby incentives are
given to the Lupons who adequately demonstrate the ability to judiciously and expeditiously
resolve cases referred to them.

This legal research paper aims to provide for a comprehensive discussion of the KP
and the LTIA. Specifically, it aims:

1. To provide relevant information to the public as regards the dynamics of amicable

settlements and to appreciate the importance of amicable settlement at the barangay level

2. To encourage the local government units (LGUs) from the regional level down to the
barangay level, especially those barangays which do not have organized Lupons yet, to
support, utilize and improve such mechanism

1
Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Katarungang Pambarangay Primer and Guidebook: Step-By-Step Guide to Katarungang Pambarangay
(1999)
3. To provide information on the best practices of barangays who were National Awardees
in the past three years for bench-marking of LGU.

4. To provide relevant information to the concerned National Government Agencies

(NGAs) such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for policy
interventions/developments.

One of the long – standing problems in the Philippine justice system is the docket
congestion in our courts which, in effect, delays the administration of justice. In 2017, De La
Salle University (DLSU) College of Law Founding Dean Jose Manuel Diokno said that their
research shows that most of the courts in the country have congested proceeding schedules
with 50 cases per day, resulting to a slow pace of litigation that usually runs over ten years or
longer.

This study focuses on Katarungang Pambarangay and how it addresses the following:

o Congestion

o Delay of the administration of justice

o Litigation costs

o Wearisome litigation

In 2013, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the agency in
charge of their implementation, said that the government had an estimated savings of P3.1-
billion in court litigation costs through the implementation of the KP.

KP promotes the speedy administration of justice2, and discourages indiscriminate

filing of cases in court in order to decongest its clogged dockets and, in the process, enhances
the quality of justice dispensed by it.3

Hence, the researchers find Katarungang Pambarangay as an efficient means of

promoting harmony and justice in the community, and as an effective tool in providing
speedy and inexpensive amicable settlements. As according to DILG Officer in Charge
Catalino S. Cuy, “ Let us trust the justice system in our Barangays. Instead of going directly
to the court, the courts, there is a Lupong Tagapamayapa in every barangay to help you find
an amicable settlement for your neighborhood quarrels.”

2
A Guide to the Katarungang Pambarangay System (Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy (2012)
3
Morata v. Go, 125 SCRA 444, 449, (October 27, 1983)