FOR the sixth time, Barangay Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City will represent Western Visayas in the 2018 National Search for Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) highly urbanized city category.
“Calumpang will receive a plaque and P50,000 development fund to be given during the regional awarding ceremony in October. It is the official nominee of the region to the national contest,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Director lawyer Anthony Nuyda wrote Punong Barangay Roberto Niño.
Calumpang has been representing Western Visayas since 2013, and it was declared as first runner-up in 2016 and 2017.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III congratulated Calumpang for a successful initiative and hopes the citation serves as inspiration for other villages to replicate the best practice.
“I have seen how dedicated the Lupon members are and I am proud because there are innovative ideas coming from them which also helps us to level up. We felt pressured because of the consistency and sustainability of the title we hold, but nonetheless this will not affect our performance and our job to make the Lupon a true administration of justice,” Niño said.
They have also been conducting information drive in different municipalities in the province of Iloilo and in public schools.
“The Lupon is very helpful in the sense that it helps to declog the cases in court. In 2016, the Lupon resolved thousands of cases within the barangay level. It saved government money because the fiscal and judges will focus their attention to more serious cases. It also fosters unity among the residents,” City DILG officer lawyer Ferdinand Panes said.
LTIA was established in pursuant to Section 406 (b) of the Local Government Code of 1991 which mandates DILG to grant economic and other incentives to Lupon for their outstanding contributions to attain the objectives of Katarungang Pambarangay justice system.
Lupon is an administrative body established by law to operationalize the barangay justice system, a response to continuing global search for indigenous mediation structures capable of resolving disputes within a community and beyond formal courts. (PR)