KATARUNGANG PAMBARANGAY

FOREWORD
IT has always been a source of pride for us in the
Department of the Interior and Local Government to
bear witness to outstanding initiatives of partners in
local governance. We are therefore pleased to
acknowledge the latest publication of the Philippines-
Canada Local Government Support Program (LGSP),
Katarungang Pambarangay: A Handbook.
Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the 1991
Local Government Code, gives barangays the
mandate to enforce peace and order and provide
support for the effective enforcement of human
rights and justice. Decentralization has facilitated the
recognition of the Katarungang Pambarangay or
Barangay Justice System as an alternative venue for
the resolution of disputes. The challenge facing local
governments now is to maximize and harness the
katarungang pambarangay as one of the most
valuable mechanisms available in administering
justice, advancing human rights protection and
resolving and/or mediating conflict at the barangay
level through non-adversarial means.
Katarungang Pambarangay: A Handbook
provides local governments an easy-to-use tool with
which to take up this challenge. It fills the need to
increase the awareness and understanding of
katarungang pambarangay and its value as an
empowering and alternative tool for the resolution of
community and family disputes at the barangay
level. With the fast-evolving demand for access to
justice, there is a need to utilize this mechanism
more strategically and proactively as a way to
promote peace at the grassroots. The Punong
Barangay (Barangay Heads), members of the Lupong
Tagapamayapa (Peace Council) and communities will
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