EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Third Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S. No. 2326
FLED
T)ME
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revillar Jr.
AN ACT
EXPANDING AND MODERNIZING THE KATARUNGANG PAMBARANGAY AND 
STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR THE BARANGAY JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ITS 
WORKERS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Katarungang Pambarangay was conceptualized to promote the speedy 
administration of justice at the barangay level, provide an alternative to litigation 
dispute settlement, and to achieve peaceful and friendly settlements. It recognizes 
the Filipino tradition of resolving conflicts through amicable settlement that saves the 
time and resources of all the parties concerned, and at the same time relieves the trial 
courts of cases among neighbours that can be settled through mediation at the 
barangay level.
Katarungang Pambarangay was governed by Presidential Decree No. 1508 
which was signed on June 11, 1978 and took effect on December 20, 1978. It covers 
cases punishable by imprisonment not exceeding thirty (30) days or a fine not 
exceeding Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00).
PD 1508 was repealed by Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local 
Government Code of 1991, which embodies the same principles and essence of PD 
1508 in Sections 399-422, Chapter VII, Title I, Book III, and Section 515, Title I, Book 
IV. The cases covered by the Katarungang Pambarangay was, however, expanded by


increasing the authority of the lupon to settle criminal offenses punishable by 
imprisonment not exceeding one (1) year or a fine not exceeding Five Thousand Pesos 
(P5,000.00). Related to this, the Supreme Court issued Circular No. 14-93 on July 15, 
1993 to provide the "Guidelines on the Katarungang Pambarangay Conciliation 
Procedure to Prevent Circumvention of the Revised Katarungang Pambarangay Law"
Truly, Katarungang Pambarangay has been instrumental in the promotion of 
peace, order and development in our communities but it needs to be revisited to 
improve the administration of justice at the barangay level, to professionalize justice 
administration at the barangay level, and to provide greater fiscal and other incentives 
to attain a high level of competency, integrity, independence, probity and honesty.
This Barangay Justice System Act seeks to expand and modernize the 
Katarungang Pambarangay and strengthen the support for it and its workers. To 
achieve this, it proposes, among others, the conduct of Barangay Justice Training 
Program, the mandatory continuing Barangay Justice Education, and the provision of 
salary, incentives and benefits of Barangay Justice Workers.
In view of the aforementioned, the immediate passage of this bill is highly 
recommended.
RAMO^BONG REVILLA, JR.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session
)
SENATE 
S. No. 2326
FLED
Introduced by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.
AN ACT
EXPANDING AND MODERNIZING THE KATARUNGANG PAMBARANGAY AND 
STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR THE BARANGAY JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ITS 
WORKERS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the '^Barang ay Justice
2 
System Act'.
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to ensure that
4 
justice, in its most tangible and immediate sense, is made easily accessible to all its
5 
citizens. In line with the foregoing, the State recognizes that there is a need to further
6 
strengthen and modernize the government services aimed at providing access to
7 
justice at the barangay level, the level of government which is most immediately
8 
accessible to Filipino citizens.
9 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
10 
(a) Barangay Justice Worker refers to a person who renders barangay
11 
justice services in the barangay level after having been accredited to
12 
function as such by the Department of Justice (DOJ), in accordance with
13 
the DOJ's promulgated guidelines;
14 
(b) Barangay Justice Advisory Center refers to the office that is established
15 
in order to be an information and advice center that may be approached


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by barangay residents for preliminary inquiries regarding possible
2 
initiation of or defense against existing legal action;
3 
(c) Barangay Conciliation Board, otherwise referred to as "Conciliation
4 
Board" refers to the body of individuals that exercises administrative
5 
supervision over conciliation and conciliation panels at the barangay
6 
level;
7 
(d) Barangay Conciliation Panel, otherwise referred to as "Conciliation Panel"
8 
refers to the conciliation panel chosen by the parties to the dispute from
9 
the list of members of the conciliation board.
10 
Sec. 4. Barangay Justice Worker. -
11 
(a) For a person to be eligible for registration and accreditation as a
12 
Barangay Justice Worker with the DOJ, he must be a Filipino citizen of
13 
legal age, is a college degree graduate, must have undergone and
14 
successfully completed the Barangay Justice Training Program provided
15 
by the DOJ, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local
16 
Government (DILG); and is
17 
(b) found to be a person of integrity, impartiality, independence of mind,
18 
sense of fairness, and reputation for probity.
19 
Sec. 5. Barangay Justice Training Program. - In coordination with the DILG,
20 
the DOJ shall formulate and administer a training program to be known as the
21 
Barangay Justice Training Program, for all prospective Barangay Justice Workers
22 
consisting of not less than eighty (80) hours of training, including, but not limited to,
23 
lectures on basic civil and criminal procedure, rules of evidence, arbitration and dispute
24 
resolution, as well as relevant substantive laws such as family law, property law and
25 
criminal law.
26 
Sec. 6. Mandatory Continuing Barangay Justice Education. — The DOJ, in
27 
coordination with the DILG, shall likewise formulate and administer a continuing
28 
mandatory education program for Barangay Justice Workers consisting of sixteen (16)
29 
hours of lectures on relevant legal topics: Provided, That such sixteen (16) hours of
30 
lectures shall be attended by each Barangay Justice Worker every three (3) years,
31 
including the year immediately after the year of registration of said Barangay Justice
32 
Worker.


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Sec. 7. Assignment of Barangay Justice Workers to Barangays. - The DOJ shall
2 
likewise devise a system of assigning registered Barangay Justice Workers to specific
3 
barangays. In assigning such Barangay Justice Workers, the DOJ shall take into
4 
consideration and ensure that Barangay Justice Workers actually residing in a
5 
barangay are assigned thereto, or failing such, are assigned to the city or municipality
6 
or residence, or further failing such, are assigned to the city, municipality, or barangay
7 
closest to their actual place of residence. The DOJ shall ensure that at least six (6)
8 
but not more than twelve (12) Barangay Justice Workers shall be assigned for each
9 
barangay.
10 
Sec. 8. Functions of the Barangay Justice Worker. - A Barangay Justice Worker
11 
shall -
12 
(a) Perform functions as part of the Barangay Justice Advisory Center as
13 
defined hereunder;
14 
(b) Sit as a member of the Barangay Conciliation Board and perform the
15 
functions therein as defined hereunder.
16 
Sec. 9. Barangay Justice Advisory Center. — There is hereby created in each
17 
barangay a Barangay Justice Advisory Center which is composed of all the Barangay
18 
Justice Workers currently assigned in the barangay.
19 
Sec. 10. Functions of the Barangay Justice Advisory Center. - The Barangay
20 
Justice Advisory Center shaii -
21 
(a) Entertain queries from barangay residents regarding basic legal
22 
questions of rights and obligations, especially in relation to the barangay
23 
and their co-residents;
24 
(b) Advise barangay residents regarding possible avenues of legal action
25 
and the applicability and/or necessity of undergoing conciliation under
26 
the Conciliation Board; and,
27 
(c) Officially refer inquiring barangay residents to proper legal offices such
28 
as, but not limited to, the City Prosecutor's Office, Public Attorney's
29 
Office, the local chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, or the
30 
NLRC's Single Entry Assistance Desk (SEAD), depending on the assessed
31 
legal need of such resident.


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Sec. 11. Barangay Conciliation Board. — The conciliation board is composed of
2 
the punong barangay, as chairman and the Barangay Justice Workers assigned to the
3 
barangay as members. The conciliation board is a standing body that continuously
4 
exists, with only the punong barangay, as chairman, being replaced every time a new
5 
one is duly elected.
6 
In barangays where majority of the inhabitants are members of indigenous
7 
cultural communities, local systems of settling disputes through their councils of datus
8 
or elders shall be recognized without prejustice to the applicable provision of this law.
9 
Sec. 12. Functions of the Barangay Conciliation Board. — The conciliation board
10 
shall:
11 
(a) Exercise administrative supervision over the conciliation panels provided
12 
herein;
13 
(b) Meet regularly once a month to provide a forum for exchange of ideas
14 
among its members and the public on matters relevant to the amicable
15 
settlement of disputes, and to enable various conciliation panel members
16 
to share with one another their observations and experiences in effecting
17 
speedy resolution of disputes; and,
18 
(c) Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions
19 
as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.
20 
Sec. 13. Secretary of the Conciliation Board. — The barangay secretary shall
21 
concurrently serve as the secretary of the cqnciliation board. The secretary shall
22 
record the results of mediation proceedings before the punong barangay and shall
23 
submit a report thereon to the proper city or municipal courts. He shall also receive
24 
and keep the records of proceedings submitted to him by the various conciliation
25 
panels.
26 
Sec. 14. Barangay Conciliation Panel. —
n 
(a) There shall be constituted for each dispute brought before the
28 
conciliation board a conciliation panel, consisting of three (3) members
29 
who shall be chosen by the parties to the dispute from the list of
30 
members of the conciliation board. Should the parties fail to agree on
31 
the conciliation panel membership, the same shall be determined by lots
32 
drawn by the conciliation board chairman.


1 
(b)The three (3) members constituting the conciliation panel shall elect
2 
from among themselves the panel chairman and the panel secretary.
3 
The panel secretary shall prepare the minutes of the conciliation panel
4 
proceedings and submit a copy duly attested to by the chairman to the
5 
conciliation board secretary and to the proper city or municipal court.
6 
He shall issue and cause to be served notices to the parties concerned.
7 
(c) Subject to RA 10173, or the "Data Privacy Act", the conciliation board
8 
secretary shall issue certified true copies of any public record in his
9 
custody that is not by law otherwise declared confidential.
10 
Sec. 15. Vacancies in the Barangay Conciiiation Panei. - Any vacancy in the
11 
conciliation panel shall be chosen by the parties to the dispute from among the other
12 
conciliation board members. Should the parties fail to agree on a common choice, the
13 
vacancy shall be filled by lot to be drawn by the conciliation board chairman.
14 
Sec. 16. Character of Office of Barangay Conciiiation Board Members. — The
15 
conciliation board members, while in the performance of their official duties or on the
16 
occasion thereof, shall be deemed as persons in authority, as defined in the Revised
17 
Penal Code.
18 
Sec. 17. Legal Advice on Matters Involving Questions of Law. — The provincial,
19 
city legal officer or prosecutor or the municipal legal officer shall render legal advice
20 
on matters involving questions of law to the punong barangay or any conciliation board
21 
or conciliation panel member whenever necessary in the exercise of his functions
22 
under this Act.
23 
Sec. 18. Subject Matter for Amicable Settlement; Exceptions Thereto. - The
24 
conciliation board of each barangay shall have authority to bring together the parties
25 
actually residing in the same city or municipality for amicable settlement of all disputes
26 
except:
27 
(a) Where one party is the government or any subdivision or instrumentality
28 
thereof;
29 
(b) Where one party is a public officer or employees, and the dispute relates
30 
to the performance of his official functions;
31 
(c) Offenses punishable by imprisonment exceeding one (1) year or a fine
32 
exceeding Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00);


1 
(d) Offenses where there is no private offended party;
2 
(e) Where the dispute involved real properties located in different cities or
3 
municipalities unless the parties thereto agree to submit their differences
4 
to amicable settlement by an appropriate conciliation board;
5 
(f) Disputes involving parties who actually reside in barangays of different
6 
cities or municipalities, except where such barangay units adjoin each
7 
other and the parties thereto agree to submit their differences to
8 
amicable settlement by an appropriate conciliation board;
9 
(g) Such other classes of disputes which the President may determine in the
10 
interest of justice or upon the recommendation of the Secretary of
11 
Justice.
12 
The court in which non-criminal cases not falling within the authority of the
13 
conciliation board under this Code are filed may, at any time before trial, motuproprio
14 
refer the case to the conciliation board concerned for amicable settlement.
15 
Sec. 19. Venue for Amicable Settlement—
16 
(a) Disputes between persons actually residing in the same barangay shall
17 
be brought for amicable settlement before the conciliation board of said
18 
barangay.
19 
(b)Those involving actual residents of different barangays within the same
20 
city of municipality shall be brought in the barangay where the
21 
respondent or any of the respondents actually resides, at the electron of
22 
the complainant.
23 
(c) All disputes involving real property or any interest therein shall be
24 
brought in the barangay where the real property or the larger portion
25 
thereof is situated.
26 
(d) Those arising at the workplace where the contending parties are
27 
employed or at the institution where such parties are enrolled for study,
28 
shall be brought in the barangay where such workplace or institution is
29 
located.
30 
Objections to venue shall be raised in the mediation proceedings before the
31 
punong barangay; otherwise, the same shall be deemed waived. Any legal question
32 
which may confront the punong barangay in resolving objections to venue herein


1 
referred to may be submitted to the Secretary of Justice or his duly designated
2 
representative, whose ruling thereon shall be binding.
3 
Sec. 15. Procedure for Amicable Settlement —
4 
(a) Who may initiate proceeding - Upon payment of the appropriate filing
5 
fee, any individual who has a cause of action against another individual
6 
involving any matter within the authority of the conciliation board may
7 
complain, orally or in writing, to the conciliation board chairman of the
8 
barangay.
9 
(b) Mediation by conciliation board chairman - Upon receipt of the
10 
complaint, the conciliation board chairman shall, within the next working
11 
day, summon the respondent(s), with notice to the complainant(s) for
12 
them and their witnesses to appear before him for a mediation of their
13 
conflicting interests. If he fails in his mediation effort within fifteen (15)
14 
days from the first meeting of the parties before him, he shall forthwith
15 
set a date for the constitution of the conciliation panel in accordance
16 
with the provisions of this Chapter.
17 
(c) Suspension of prescriptive period of offenses - While the dispute is
18 
under mediation, conciliation, or arbitration, the prescriptive periods for
19 
offenses and cause of action under existing laws shall be interrupted
20 
upon filing of the complaint with the punong barangay. The prescriptive
21 
periods shall resume upon receipt by the complainant of the complaint
22 
or the certificate of repudiation or of the certification to file action issued
23 
by the conciliation board or conciliation panel secretary: Provided,
24 
however, That such interruption shall not exceed sixty (60) days from
25 
the filing of the complaint with the punong barangay.
26 
(d) Issuance of summons; hearing grounds for disqualification - The
27 
conciliation panel shall convene not later than three (3) working days
28 
from its constitution, on the day and hour set by the conciliation board
29 
chairman, to hear both parties and their witnesses, simplify issues, and
30 
explore all possibilities for amicable settlement. For this purpose, the
31 
conciliation panel may issue summons for the personal appearance of
32 
parties and witnesses before it. In the event that a party moves to


1 
disqualify any member of the conciliation panel by reason of relationship,
2 
bias, interest, or any other similar grounds discovered after the
3 
constitution or the conciliation panel, the matter shall be resolved by the
4 
affirmative vote of the majority of the conciliation panel whose decision
5 
shall be final. Should disqualification be decided upon, the resulting
6 
vacancy shall be filled as herein provided for.
7 
(e) Period to arrive at a settlement - The conciliation panel shall arrive at a
8 
settlement or resolution of the dispute within thirty (30) days from the
9 
day it convenes in accordance with this section. This period shall, at the
10 
discretion of the conciliation panel, be extendible for another period
11 
which shall not exceed thirty (30) days, except in clearly meritorious
12 
cases.
13 
Sec. 16. Form of Settlement. - All amicable settlement shall be in writing, in a
14 
language or dialect known to the parties, signed by them, and attested to by the
15 
conciliation board chairman or the conciliation panel chairman, as the case may be.
16 
When the parties to the dispute do not use the same language or dialect, the
17 
settlement shall be written in the language known to them.
18 
Sec. 17. Conciliation.—
19 
(a) Pre-condition to Filing of Complaint in Court. - No complaint, petition,
20 
action or proceeding involving any matter within the authority of the
21 
conciliation board shall be filed or instituted directly in court or any other
22 
government office for adjudication, unless there has been a
23 
confrontation between the parties before the conciliation board
24 
chairman or the conciliation panel, and that no conciliation or settlement
25 
has been reached as certified by the conciliation board secretary or
26 
conciliation panel secretary as attested to by the conciliation board or
27 
conciliation panel chairman or unless the settlement has been repudiated
28 
by the parties thereto.
29 
(b) Where Parties May Go Directly to Court. - The parties may go directly to
30 
court in the following instances:
31 
(1) Where the accused is under detention;


1 
(2) Where a person has otherwise been deprived of personal liberty
2 
calling for habeas corpus proceedings;
3 
(3) Where actions are coupled with provisional remedies such as
4 
preliminary injunction, attachment, delivery of personal property
5 
and support pendente Ute, and,
6 
(4) Where the action may otherwise be barred by the statue of
7 
limitations.
8 
(c) Conciliation Among Members of Indigenous Cultural Communities. - The
9 
customs and traditions of indigenous cultural communicates shall be
10 
applied in settling disputes between members of the cultural
11 
communities.
12 
Sec. 17. Certification forFiiing. - The certification for filing a complaint in court
13 
or any government office shall be issued as follows:
14 
(a) Issued by the conciliation board secretary and attested by the
15 
conciliation board chairman (punong barangay), certifying that a
16 
confrontation of the parties has taken place and that a conciliation
17 
settlement has been reached, but the same has been subsequently
18 
repudiated;
19 
(b) Issued by the panel secretary and attested by the panel chairman
20 
certifying that:
21 
(l)a confrontation of the parties took place but no conciliation /
22 
settlement has been reached; or
23 
(2) that no personal confrontation took place before the conciliation
24 
panel through no fault of the complainant.
25 
(c) Issued by the punong barangay as requested by the proper party on the
26 
ground of failure of settlement where the dispute involves members of
27 
the same indigenous cultural community, which shall be settled in
28 
accordance with the customs and traditions of that particular cultural
29 
community, or where one or more of the parties to the aforesaid dispute
30 
belong to the minority and the parties mutually agreed to submit their
31 
dispute to the indigenous system of amicable settlement, and there has


1 
been no settlement as certified by the datu or tribal leader or elder to
2 
the punong barangay of place of settlement; and,
3 
(d) If mediation or conciliation efforts before the punong barangay proved
4 
unsuccessful, there having been no agreement to arbitrate, or where the
5 
respondent fails to appear at the mediation proceeding, the punong
6 
barangay shall not cause the issuance at this stage of a certification to
7 
file action, because it is mandatory for him to constitute the conciliation
8 
panel before whom mediation, conciliation, or arbitration proceedings
9 
shall be held.
10 
Sec. 18. Arbitration. -
11 
(a) The parties may, at any stage of the proceedings, agree in writing that
12 
they shall abide by the arbitration award of the conciliation board
13 
chairman or the conciliation panel. Such agreement to arbitrate may be
14 
repudiated within five (5) days from the date thereof for the same
15 
grounds and in accordance with the procedure hereinafter prescribed.
16 
The arbitration award shall be made after the lapse of the period for
17 
repudiation and within ten (10) days thereafter.
18 
(b)The arbitration award shall be in writing in a language or dialect known
19 
to the parties. When the parties to the dispute do not use the same
20 
language or dialect, the award shall be written in a language or dialect
21 
known to them.
22 
Sec. 19. Proceedings Open to the Public Exception. - All proceedings for
23 
settlement shall be public and informal: Provided, however, That the conciliation board
24 
chairman or the conciliation panel chairman, as the case may be, may motu proprio
25 
or upon request of a party, exclude the public from the proceedings in the interest of
26 
privacy, decency, or public morals.
27 
Sec. 20. Appearance of Parties in Person. — In all barangay conciliation
28 
proceedings, the parties must appear in person without the assistance of counsel or
29 
representative, except for minors and incompetents who may be assisted by their
30 
next-of-kin who are not lawyers.
31 
Sec. 21. Effect of Amicable Settlement and Arbitration Award. — The amicable
32 
settlement and arbitration award shall have the force and effect of a final judgment
10


1 
of a court upon the expiration of ten (10) days from the date thereof, unless
2 
repudiation of the settlement has been made or a petition to nullify the award has
3 
been filed before the proper city or municipal court.
4 
However, this provision shall not apply to court cases settled by the conciliation
5 
board under the last paragraph of Section 18 of this law, in which case the compromise
6 
settlement agreed upon by the parties before the conciliation board chairman or the
7 
conciliation panel chairman shall be submitted to the court and upon approval thereof,
8 
have the force and effect of a judgement of said court.
9 
Sec. 22. Execution. — The amicable settlement or arbitration award may be
10 
enforced by execution by the conciliation board within six (6) months from the date
11 
of the settlement. After the lapse of such time, the settlement may be enforced by
12 
action in the appropriate city or municipal court.
13 
Sec. 23. Repudiation. — Any party to the dispute may, within ten (10) days
14 
from the date of the settlement, repudiate the same by filing with the conciliation
15 
board chairman a statement to that effect sworn to before him, where the consent is
16 
vitiated by fraud, violence, or intimidation. Such repudiation shall be sufficient basis
17 
for the issuance of the certification for filing a complaint as hereinabove provided.
18 
Sec. 24. Transmittal of Settlement and Arbitration Award to the Court. — The
19 
secretary of the conciliation board shall transmit the settlement or the arbitration
20 
award to the appropriate city of municipal court within five (5) days from the date of
21 
the award or from the lapse of the ten-day period repudiating the settlement and shall
22 
furnish copies thereof to each of the parties to the settlement and the conciliation
23 
board chairman.
24 
Sec. 25. Power to Administer Oaths. — The punong barangay, as chairman of
25 
the conciliation board, and the members of the conciliation panel are hereby
26 
authorized to administer oaths in connection with any matter relating to all
27 
proceedings in the implementation of the barangay conciliation procedure herein
28 
outlined.
29 
Sec. 26. Barangay Justice Worker Salary, Incentives and Benefits. - In
30 
recognition of their services, ail accredited barangay justice workers who are actively
31 
and regularly performing their duties shall be entitled to the following salary,
32 
incentives and benefits:
11


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(a) Salary - Barangay Justice Workers shall receive a compensation under 
a salary grade to be determined by the DOJ;
(b) Hazard Allowance - Barangay Justice Workers in rural and urban areas, 
exposed to situations, conditions, or factors in the work environment or 
place where foreseeable but unavoidable danger or risks exist which 
adversely endanger his health or life and/or increase the risk of 
producing adverse effect on his person in the exercise of his duties, to 
be validated by the proper authorities, shall be entitled to hazard 
allowance in an amount to be determined by the DOJ, in consultation 
with the local peace and order council of the local government unit 
concerned.
(c) Training, Education and Career Enrichment Programs - The DOJ, in 
accordance with the Department of Education and other concerned 
government agencies and non-government organizations, shall provide 
opportunities for the following:
(1) educational programs which shall recognize years of barangays 
justice service as credits to higher education in institutions with 
stepladder curricula that will entitled Barangay Justice Workers to 
upgrade their skills and knowledge for community work or to 
pursue further training as lawyers;
(2) continuing education, study and exposure tours, training, grants, 
field immersion, scholarships, and similar activities; and,
(3) scholarship benefits in the form of tuition fees in state colleges, 
to be granted to one child every Barangay Justice Worker who 
will not be able to take advantage of the above programs.
(d) Civil Service Eligibility - A second grade eligibility shall be granted to 
Barangay Justice Workers who have rendered five (5) years continuous 
service as such.
(e) Free Legal Services - Legal representation and consultation services for 
Barangay Justice Workers shall be immediately provided by the Public 
Attorneys Office in cases of coercion, interference, and in other civil and
12


1 
criminal cases filed by or against Barangay Justice Workers arising our
2 
of or in connection with the performance of their duties as such.
3 
(f) Private Legal Assistance - As an alternative to the free legal services
4 
under the previous paragraph, all Barangay Justice Workers are hereby
5 
authorized to engage the service of private lawyers or extend counsel
6 
immediately upon receipt of Court Notice that a civil or criminal action,
7 
suit or proceeding is filed against them. The lawyer's fee shall be part
8 
of the indemnification package for the Barangay Justice Workers, subject
9 
to the provisions of the succeeding paragraph.
10 
(g) Indemnification of Barangay Justice Worker - The DOJ shall establish an
11 
equitable indemnification package for the Barangay Justice Workers,
12 
which may be in the form of free legal assistance, liability insurance, and
13 
other forms of protection and indemnification for all cost and expenses
14 
reasonably incurred by such persons in connection with any civil or
15 
criminal actions, suit or proceeding to which they may be, or have been
16 
made, a party by reason of the performance of their functions or duties,
17 
unless they are finally adjudged in such action or proceeding to be liable
18 
for gross negligence or misconduct or grave abuse of discretion.
19 
In the event of settlement or compromise, indemnification shall be
20 
confined only on matters covered by the settlement, provided that the
21 
DOJ Secretary has determined that the concerned Barangay Justice
22 
Worker did not commit gross negligence or misconduct in the
23 
performance of his functions and duties.
24 
(h) Legal Assistance Fund - There shall be established a Legal Assistance
25 
Fund to be administered by the DOJ and sourced from the filing fees
26 
authorized to be collected under Section 15 of this Act and from national
27 
and local appropriations, among others.
28 
Sec. 27. Administration; Ruies andReguiations. — The city or municipal mayor,
29 
as the case may be, shall see to the efficient and effective implementation and
30 
administration of barangay conciliation provisions of this law.
13


1 
The DOJ, in coordination with concerned agencies, shall prepare and issue the
2 
implementing rules and regulations within one hundred eighty (180) days from the
3 
effectivity of this Act.
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Sec. 28. Appropriations. — Such amount as may be necessary for the effective
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implementation of this law shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act
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under the annual budget of the city or municipality concerned.
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Sec. 29. Separabiiity Ciause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
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affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
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Sec. 30. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary
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to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or
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amended accordingly.
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Sec. 31. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
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Approved
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