‘Nobody ever notices’ they keep the village peace

A secure, comfortable retirement when employment ceases completely may be every worker’s dream.

Not for the members of this council of seniors who have taken on the important but oftentimes unappreciated job of keeping the peace in their community of Greater Lagro in Quezon City.

The headquarters of the Lupong Tagapamayapa, a conciliation panel that settles disputes among members of their community, is a small, single-story structure behind the barangay hall.

This green-painted building has seen angry confrontations between parents and children, between neighbors, friends and even lovers.

Yet not a single case has remained unsolved under the watch of the 22 Lupon members, majority of them already in their 70s.

Dispute resolution court

The Lupon, which functions as a small-scale mediation or dispute resolution court, is composed of retired police officers, lawyers, government officials, auditors, accountants, teachers, engineers, architects, pastors and lay ministers.

For being “unsung heroes” who have been contributing to the reduction of the backlog of cases in the courts through their voluntary and selfless service, the Lupon was nominated by Raymundo Rodriguez, head of Barangay Greater Lagro’s Lupon, to the Inquirer’s search for everyday heroes, “Heroes ‘R’ Us,” which ran from Aug. 15 to Aug. 21.

The other members of the Greater Lagro’s Lupon are Erlinda Bantug, 75; Rizalino Quiaoit Jr., 75; Pedro Velchez, 75; Alejandro Casanova, 73; Luciente Erico Claros, 75; Manuel Cadeliña, 73; Fernando Caraig, 70; Joseph Arzaga, 45; Macario Rabina Jr., 64; Diomedes Viray, 55; Perpetuo Palero, 70; Raymundo Quitlong Jr., 52; Rodrigo Mallari, 75; Sancho Simon, 67; Panfilo Robles, 74; Monseratt Rabago, 68; Roberto Salas, 67; Rodolfo Rieta, 77; Jose Agustin, 71; and Roco Caparroso, 48.

“I joined the Lupon to impart what I have learned from the courts and to be active again in our community,” said Bantug, who worked as a court interpreter in the Supreme Court.

“I know I can help our barangay in resolving conflicts as I used to handle minor cases,” said Simon, one of six retired police investigators in the group.

“As a retired police investigator, I have some background in the mediation process, which I can use in our job here,” said the 64-year-old Rodriguez.

Each member, who “possesses integrity, impartiality, independence of mind, sense of fairness and reputation,” is appointed by the barangay chair to a three-year term of office in accordance with Republic Act No. 7160, or the 1991 Local Government Code of the Philippines.

“I see to it that all of them are well-rounded people and exhibit moral ascendancy in their respective areas of residence,” said barangay chair Renato Galimba, who is ex-officio chair of the Lupon.

Where perhaps most seniors would rather stay home and attend to family affairs, Agustin finds working with the Lupon as an opportunity to serve his community.

“I should have been a full-fledged husband and grandfather,” he said. “But considering my desire to serve the community, I divide my time between my duties as a husband and grandfather, and those of a Lupon member.”

It is not especially hard, just a matter of time management and dedication, said the lawyer, who served in the government for 35 years.

Velchez, another retired police investigator, said he wanted to share his experience working with the Manila Police District in helping bring about the amicable settlement of various disputes the council handles.

“I joined [the Lupon] simply because I don’t want to stay in the house doing nothing,” Velchez said.

Balancing act

Like other barangay officials, members of the Lupon are deemed persons of authority, who mediate, conciliate and arbitrate every conflict involving their constituents.

More than possessing good character, being a mediator is a balancing act in which one has to carefully weigh not just the arguments of opposing parties but their attitudes as well.

“When we reconcile two contending parties, we don’t identify who the offender is,” said Rabago, a former loan auditor.

“If you know how to talk with people heart-to-heart and understand their attitude well, the job will be easy,” she said.

“It’s the will of the Lord to reconcile with each other and this can be achieved by serving as mediator to conflicts,” said Palero, a high school teacher and lay minister.

The Lupon, considered a judicial court at the barangay level, provides legal and psychological aid to complainants pro bono.

It has the authority to summon the conflicting parties, who are required to personally appear before the council for the mediation process, as prescribed in RA 7160.

The Local Government Court provides that no complaint can be filed in court for adjudication without the parties first appearing before the Lupon chair.

Moreover, petitioners can proceed to a higher court only if no settlement is reached, as certified by the Lupon secretary and attested to by the Lupon chair, or if the settlement has been repudiated by the contending parties.

“We are able to unclog the courts and we are able to mend the rapport among friends and neighbors without spending money for court hearings,” said 67-year-old Galimba, a lawyer.

“If you look at the wider picture, we are also able to save the government billions of pesos aside from contributing peace and order in the community, but nobody ever notices that,” he said.

50 disputes per month

For the Lupon, there are no big or small cases that cannot be settled.

Many times, the case itself is not the problem but the attitude and relationship of community members, said Quiaoit, a lawyer and retired military officer.

“Here you come across bigotry, hypocrisy and tolerance,” he said.

The Lupon helps keep the peace in a barangay, with 29,290 constituents sharing a land area of 307,853 hectares. It resolves an average of 50 disputes each month.

“Kaya kapit-bisig kami (That’s why we have to be united),” said Bantug.

“I always tell [the parties involved] that it’s more fulfilling to live without enemies. Fortunately, they listen to us and their conflicts are eventually solved,” he said.

For its Lupon’s unwavering commitment and patience, Greater Lagro was named Best Lupong Tagapamayapa in Metro Manila last year by the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Other citations it has received include best barangay in peace and order committee, and best barangay in gender practices and responsive governance.

Vulnerable

However, with some conflicts seemingly beyond the Lupon’s ability to resolve, some Lupon members have become subjected to harassment.

According to Mallari, one of the Lupon’s most common problems in dispute resolution is the implementation of the writ of execution, under which the council can sequester properties of the debtor for settling payments.

“If they (Lupon members) cannot enter [the property], we secure from the city court a break-open order to legally assess the properties to be sequestered,” said Mallari, another lawyer.

Galimba said he was once charged with car theft and disbarment over a case that they were handling.

“The car theft case was dismissed while the disbarment case has yet to be resolved,” he said.

While the Local Government Code mandates that every barangay should have its Lupong Tagapamayapa, its presence is rarely acknowledged and its community efforts often overlooked.

Some constituents would even ignore their authority and take their orders for granted. “That stigma prevailing in some barangays is what we’re trying to eliminate,” Galimba said.

“We file contempt charges against those who ignore our summons to make them realize that they should respect the authority of the Lupon,” he said.

‘Bonus from God’

“Serving others is already a heroic act, more so that of being an adviser in a peace process,” Palero said.

“As elders we always set an example by giving emphasis to morality,” said Caraig, a lay minister.

According to Palero, the hope is that what they are doing would serve as an example for the young ones in the community “so they could be dependable citizens, too, in the future.”

And who says age should stop one from lending a hand?

“If you have the chance to serve, grab it. Otherwise, you will never know the next time you will have the chance to do so,” Galimba said.

“We are now senior citizens and we are still living probably because it’s a bonus from God,” he said.

“If God has given us bonuses, then where should we allot it? It’s in doing public service.”

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TAGS: peace process, Quezon City