Council approves funds for outstanding Lupon search

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City Council approved last Friday the budget for the city's Search for Outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa that seeks to recognize the hard work of the Lupon members in promoting peace and order at the barangay level.

An amount of P351,000 to be charged against the PAGCOR Funds shall be used to cover the cost of the project from the selection process to the awarding on December.

Of this amount, P300,000 will be allocated for the prizes where the first placer gets P150,000 worth of projects, the second placer will be given P100,000 worth of projects while the third placer shall have P50,000 worth of projects in line with the Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) program.

KP is the country's response to the continuing global search for indigenous mediation structures that can resolve disputes within the community and outside the formal courts of justice.

Its principal feature is the Lupong Tagapamayapa, a community-based conflict resolution mechanism created to settle amicably interpersonal disputes without resorting to confrontational social behavior.

The Lupon helps reduce the number of cases that could have landed in courts through their effective mediation procedures.

The establishment of the Lupong Tagapamayapa in each barangay is mandated by the Local Government Code. This is composed of the Punong barangay and 10 to 20 members that have the authority to bring together parties in a dispute.

A total of 39,348 of the 39,535 barangays nationwide have organized their respective lupong tagapamayapa, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

In Cebu City, all 80 barangays has its own Lupon.

Last year, Region 7 Lupons settled the most number of cases with 44,465. In Cebu City, a total of 11,430 cases were lodged. Of this, 10,174 or 89.01 percent cases were settled, while only 637 or 5.57 percent were issued with Certificates to File Action and 619 or 5.42 percent were dismissed or withdrawn by the complainants.

Each case that the Lupon is able to settle saves the government P9,500, the estimated adjudication cost.

The annual search for the outstanding lupon seeks to inspire them to discharge with devotion their duties and responsibilities in promoting justice, peace and order and harmony at the barangay level and to give them due recognition for their hard work.

Lupons are judged according to the efficiency of their operations, their effectiveness in securing the objectives of the KP program and their creativity and resourcefulness.

The search committee is headed by Councilor Edgardo Labella, chairman of the Committee on Laws, Ordinances, Public Accountability and Good Government and Dr. Patricio Gabuya of the DILG Cebu City. (FREEMAN)