Lupong Tagapamayapa saves govt P2.3B

Thanks to the efforts of the barangay dispute mediator councils all over the country or the Lupong Tagapamayapa, the government saved an estimated P2.3-billion in adjucation costs. Adjudication is the legal process by which a judge reviews the evidence and arguments presented by opposing parties. For each legal case, the adjucation cost is P9,500. DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero said lupons have saved the government P2,356,285,000 by settling 248,030 disputes that would have otherwise been directly filed in courts had the councils not intervened. “Lupons do not only play a key role in promoting peace and harmony in barangays, but they also help in reducing the number of cases that could have otherwise landed in courts because of their effective mediation procedures," Panadero said. Records of the Bureau of Local Government Supervision show that 307,516 disputes were lodged before lupons all over the country. Around 80.66 percent or 248,030 disputes were settled by the lupon; 4.30 percent or 13,253 of the disputes were issued Certificates to File Action, and 15.03 percent or 46,233 disputes were either withdrawn by the complainant or were referred to appropriate agencies. The same records show that Region VII lupons settled the most number of cases (44,465); followed by the National Capitol Region (34,287), and Region III (31,020). The cases that were issued Certificates to File Action involved estafa, physical injury, breach of contract, land disputes, theft, arson, or recovery of property. The Local Government Code mandates the establishment of a lupon in each barangay. It is composed of the Punong Barangay and 10 to 20 other members. The lupon has the authority to bring together parties in a dispute and work for its settlement. Of the 39,535 barangays nationwide (except for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), around 99.52 percent or 39,348 have a lupon. –VVP, GMANews.TV