BAGUIO CITY – City officials recently urged the city’s one hundred twenty eight barangays to enact their respective ordinances creating their own trust fund for the filing and other fees collected for the Lupong Tagapamayapa, indicating the uses of such funds.
Under Resolution No. 389, series of 2024, city legislators stated that a trust fund is referred to as funds which have come officially into the possession of any agency of the government or of a public office as trustee, agent, or administrator, or which have been received for the fulfillment of some obligations, as per Presidential Decree No. 1445.
Further, the disbursement and liquidation of the trust funds shall be done pursuant with pertinent government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
The council noted that the Katarungang Pambarangay or Barangay Justice System is a system of justice administered at the barangay level for the purpose of amicably settling disputes through mediation, conciliation or arbitration among the family or barangay without resorting to the courts.
The body disclosed that some city barangays already collect reasonable filing fees, in consonance to Section 410 of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 as amended, which stated that upon payment of appropriate filing fee, any individual who has a cause of action against another individual involving any matter within the authority of the lupon may complain, orally or in writing, to the lupon chairman of the barangay.
Moreover, the filing and other fees are collected for the Lupong Tagapamayapa may be placed in a special account or trust fund to be utilized for activities related to the functions of the lupon and for capacity building and such other relevant purposes duly approved by the barangay council.
The council tasked the city’s barangays to closely coordinate with the concerned government offices for their guidance on the implementation of the said resolution.
Copies of the approved resolution will be transmitted to the city’s 128 barangays for information, guidance, ready reference and further needed action. By Dexter A. see