Barangay Camp 3, Berguet, Philippines

Barangay Camp 3 is situated in the municipality of Tuba, Benguet, Philippines. The mountainous village can be accessed by a 26 km paved road from Baguio City. There are two main population centres, the first being an agricultural group of sites along the famous century-old Kennon Road, sparsely populated with 3,000 residents. The other is Padeal, densely populated by 22,000 residents. The majority of the people are mine workers, employed by PHILEX Mining Corporation. In this mining community, the people are mostly immigrants from various regions and provinces throughout the country, practising a range of customs and traditions.

Maintenance of peace and security has been a great concern of all sectors of Philippine society especially during the turbulent 1980s. Camp 3 was not spared inter-cultural conflicts or external struggles of groups with diverse political agenda. To sustain peace and order, the Katarungang Pambarangay system was introduced and adopted. This 'Barangay' justice system is an extra -judicial mechanism following the time-honoured Filipino tradition of settling inter-personal disputes amicably beyond the halls of the formal courts of justice.

To obtain a just and speedy administration of justice, Camp 3 organised the "Lupong Tagapamayapa", Council of Mediators, consisting of twenty members selected from community leaders and elders. During the initial introduction of the system in 1979 by the Barangay government, the project almost failed due to a lack of know-how and appreciation of the importance of program implementation. However, this was overcome with several training sessions for the Council of Mediators with the support of the Asia Foundation, Local Government Development Foundation (LOGODEF) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Seminars on mediation skills and conciliation skills similarly upgraded the mediators ability to expeditiously and judiciously resolve many cases within the jurisdiction of Barangay.

Due to commitment and dedication among the Lupong Tagapamayapa in the performance of their duties, Camp 3 gradually achieved a resounding success in its' peace and security program. This success was validated by the awards received by Camp 3 in 1987, 1990 and 1992. From 1990-1994, a total of 359 cases were filed at the Barangay, with 298 cases or 83% settled, 34 cases endorsed by the courts and 16 cases dismissed.

Such performance in conflict resolution through mediation and conciliation served as an inspiration not only to the community but also to other areas of the country. On several occasions since 1992, members of Camp 3 have been invited by DILG and LOGODEF to share their experiences for replication by other villages and areas in the Philippines. Our perspective is to continue the Barangay justice system as an extension of indigenous schemes of friendship, peace and order. The general strategy is to involve people in developing solutions to their problems in order to meet the goal of peaceful and harmonious coexistence among the 25,000 residents, thereby empowering the community at Camp 3 to solve its own problems without the coercive powers of the state.