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Mennonite Central Committee. Making Peace in the Indigenous Way in the Philippines

In anecdotal fashion, highlighting the work of the Upland Development Institute in the Philippines, this article relates traditional Philippine processes for addressing conflicts and offenders in relation to a more Western legal system.

Adhikain Para sa Karapatang Pambata and Ateneo Human Rights Center. Research on the situation of children in conflict with the law in selected metro Manila cities.

This research project on the situation of children in conflict with the law in selected cities in Metro Manila was conceptualised in order to assist SC-UK and its partners in defining their advocacy agenda on CICL at the local and national levels and help clarify SC-UK’s programme direction, strategies, areas of coverage and target participants. Through quantitative and qualitative information collected in this project, major gaps and abuses that occur in the administration of justice to CICL were identified and corresponding analysis and recommendations were formulated. The project also gave emphasis on the protection measures given to children in conflict with the law through diversion at the different levels of the criminal justice system. Diversion is an essential component of children’s justice, with the purpose of preventing and minimising the children’s entry into the criminal justice system. The promulgation of the Rule on Juveniles in Conflict with the Law by the Supreme Court in 15 April 2002, which provides for diversion in the court level, requires a review of it relevant provisions. The provisions of the Katarungang Pambarangay (barangay1 or village justice) Law as it applies to CICL are likewise analysed in relation to diversion.

Austin, Timothy. "Unexpected Dimensions of Informal Social Control: A View from the Philippine Sitio"

This article amplifies the finding that a number of situational variables surprisingly augment the time-honored tradition of amicable settlement among Fillipinos. Earlier reports emphasized cultural and personality patterns as a foundation of a preference of informal mediation of disputes and an avoidance of government agencies of control. Contemporary features, which include distinct political boundaries, unmemployment, communication disability in a low tech society,and the desire for bribery, among others, also appear to emerge as potentially meaningful variables. The findings allow for the construction of a number of prepositions that predict how the situation impacts on informal social control. Field research in the relatively volatile area of northwest Mindanao, especially in isolated villages (sitios), suggest a need for further clarification.

New Juvenile Justice Law in the Philippines

With the signing of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippines introduced a new juvenile justice system. Among the many provisions seeking to protect children in conflict with the law, the legislation calls for restorative justice to be an integral part of the new system.

Using Traditional Practices to Improve the Justice System

Indigenous justice practices and philosophies have been important in the development of restorative justice processes such as conferencing and circles. Increasingly, governments, development agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are realizing the potential of such traditional practices to meet the justice needs of marginalized populations, resolve issues of court backlogs, and to enable communities to own and resolve their own conflicts. In the Philippines, such problems are being resolved by enhancing traditional systems. Based on the use of mediation and conciliation by local elected leaders, the Barangay Justice System (BJS) is the focus of an NGO effort to provide access to justice and empower communities to participate in justice reform.