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BARANGAY JUSTICE SERVICE SYSTEM (BJSS)
To provide greater access to justice for the disadvantaged and reduce the caseloads and court costs in the formal justice system.
OBJECTIVES
The "Barangay Justice Service System" Project is implemented by the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) with funding from USAID, and has the following objectives:
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Through the use of alternative dispute resolution, to facilitate the resolution of individual disputes in some 700 barangays in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). This involves assisting the parties to see the options for dispute resolution, and, where appropriate may result in referrals to the formal justice system;
To enhance community awareness of the applicable laws for different categories of disputes and the appropriate venues for dispute resolution.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
With USAID's support, the Gerry Roxas Foundation launched the Barangay Justice Service System Project in 1998 to promote dispute resolution and greater access to justice, particularly for the disadvantaged. Recognizing that many Filipinos had little knowledge of the justice system and how to access it, the GRF devised the role of "barangay justice advocate" (BJA) to bridge the gap between communities, the formal justice system, and alternative systems of dispute resolution. The BJA is a citizen volunteer trained in mediation and various aspects of the law. BJAs receive cases directly from members of the communities in which they serve and are referred cases from local barangay "peace councils," which are charged implementing barangay law.
The BJSS Project began on the Visayan islands of Panay and Guimaras, where the Barangay Justice System successfully mediated 95 percent of the cases it handled, according to a 1999 World Bank study. This compares with the consolidated settlement rate of 65 percent for the Philippines as a whole for the same year.
Based on this success, the BJSS project expanded its coverage to the ARMM. Under the current phase of the project, some 2,400 BJAs are working to mediate cases in more than 500 barangays.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Project accomplishments include the following:
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Some 2,400 BJAs are serving as mediators in of 548 of the 700 targeted barangays;
Through BJSS training, 20 local partners from all five ARMM provinces and the city of Marawi are training BJAs in mediation, barangay justice law, Shariah law, and other aspects of Philippine law;
BJAs successfully resolved 65 percent of the 4,584 cases brought before BJAs in 379 barangays between October 2004 and January 2005. An additional 23 percent were successfully resolved by barangay peace councils in coordination with BJAs.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Agnes Villaruz
Excutive Director
Gerry Roxas Foundation
18/F Aurora Tower, Araneta Center
Quezon City 1109, Philippines
Tel. No. (0632) 911-3101
Fax No. (0632) 911-2833