CEBU CITY, Philippines- Barangay Budlaan emerged as the Cebu City winner for this year’s Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Award (LTIA).
Also, this mountain barangay in Cebu City will again represent Central Visayas in the Highly Urbanized Cities category of the LTIA 2022 national awards.
LTIA is a system of granting economic benefits and other incentives to outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa that demonstrates exemplary performance in settling disputes at the grassroots or barangay level.
Budlaan officials received cash incentives amounting to P120,000 from the Department of Interior and Local Government in Cebu City during the awarding ceremony that was held in a downtown Cebu City hotel on Friday afternoon, May 13, 2022.
Barangays Sto. Niño and Sirao, which placed first and second runners up respectively, also received P80,000 and P50,000 in cash incentives.
DILG Cebu City head Ian Kenneth Lucero, who also heads the City’s LTIA Awards Committee, said the DILG institutionalized the LTIA to ensure that the efforts of the Lupons will not go in vain.
Lucero said that as the City’s way of showing its regard to the important rules that the Lupong Tagapamayapa play in ensuring social justice, the City also increased its financial assistance released through honorarium from P4,000 to P6,000 per month per Lupon members starting January 2022.
The Lupon Tagapamayapa is the body that comprises the barangay justice system. It is organized to effect extrajudicial settlement of minor cases involving barangay residents.
The LTIA is supposed to be an annual recognition of the most outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa. But the event was put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. It was continued in 2021 and the winners were recognized on Friday in a gathering that was organized by DILG Cebu City.
From among the 80 barangays in Cebu City, DILG picked 12 finalists that showed exemplary performance in settling community disputes.
Budlaan emerged as the agency’s top choice.
The other finalist barangays were Inayawan, Parian, Agsungot, Kalunasan, Guadalupe, Luz, Lahug, Kasambagan, and Bacayan and they each received P5,000.
The barangays were judged based on their efficiency of operations; effectiveness in securing the settlement of interpersonal dispute objective of the Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) or Barangay Justice System; the creativity and resourcefulness of the Lupong Tagapamayapa; the area of facility for KP activities, and the financial or non-financial support.
The efficiency of operations criterion covered the observance of settlement procedure and settlement deadlines, the systematic maintenance of records, timely submission of reports to concerned agencies, and the conduct of monthly meetings exclusively on KP Matters.
DILG 7 director Leocadio Trovela, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros, and City councilor and Vice Mayor-elect Raymond Alvin Garcia were also present during the event.
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