The barangay mediation committee of Agban, Baras bagged the 2nd runner-up spot and P200,000 in cash in the 2024 Lupon Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) for 4th to 6th class municipalities nationwide during the awarding ceremony last week.
The Lupon chairperson, Barangay Chairman Gabriel T. Villanueva, Lupon Secretary Michelle Dacuna, Lupon Treasurer Jomelyn Vargas and other members joined Baras Mayor Jose Paolo Teves III, Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Salvador Vargas Jr., DILG Catanduanes Provincial Director Uldarico Razal Jr., and DILG Bicol Assistant Regional Director Joaden Lucero in receiving the plaque of recognition and the cash incentive from Sen. JV Ejercito and DILG Undersecretary Mario Iringan at the Manila Hotel last Nov. 7, 2024.
The Lupong Tagapamayapa is an administrative body created by law to operationalize the barangay justice system or the Katarungang Pambarangay, which is the Philippine response to the continuing global search for indigenous mediation structures capable of resolving disputes within a community, and beyond the formal courts of justice.
The Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) was established in 1997 as a means to institutionalize a system of granting economic benefits and other incentives to the Lupong Tagapamayapa that demonstrates exemplary performance in settling disputes at the grassroots level.
The performance and accomplishments of the lupons are evaluated by committees organized at the regional, provincial and municipal levels on the basis of a) efficiency of operations; b) effectiveness in securing the katarungang pambarangay objectives and c) creativity and resourcefulness of mediators.
In 2023, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) updated its criteria and guidelines for the LTIA, augmenting the criteria points for the settlement and award period.
Among the changes are the following: at least 10 cases filed before the Lupon and resolved through mediation, conciliation, and arbitration within a certain period; the systematic maintenance of records through a computer database with searchable case information for cities and manual and digital record filing for municipalities; and the need for Lupons to undergo barangay-organized skill training, seminars, and exchange visits to further improve their knowledge and skills in KP.