Managing Disputes at the Grassroots: Experiences of Lupong Tagapamayapa Chiefs

Conflict and disagreement between members of a community can occur for a variety of reasons, including irreconcilable ideals and expectations, personality conflicts, misunderstanding, unequal power distribution, and moral or cultural differences, among others. Often, communities lack qualified professionals to successfully handle disputes or are ignorant of certain abilities and techniques. This study explored the lived experiences of Lupong Tagapamayapa Chiefs in resolving barangay conflicts in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental through a qualitative research method. The informants of this study were ten (10) Lupon Chiefs of the ten (10) most populated barangays in Bacolod City. All participants were subjected to an individual in-depth interview. The findings of this study are described in emergent themes. Four (4) emergent themes described the positive and negative experiences of the participants in resolving barangay conflicts. For the positive experiences, two (2) emergent themes were developed, namely: Fulfillment through Dispute Resolution and Mediator’s Commitment to Peacekeeping. For the negative experiences, two (2) emergent themes were also developed: Barriers to Mediation and Behavioral Issues of Antagonizing Parties. Meanwhile, two (2) emergent themes were formulated to explain how the participants address the challenges encountered in resolving barangay conflicts, namely: Establish Rapport between Disputing Parties and Dynamic Management of Disputes. Finally, two (2) emergent themes were created to express the aspirations of the participants to improve the quality of their duties: Continuous Training and Seminar on Dispute Resolution and Desire for Improved Mediation Skills. Based on the emergent themes identified, it is recommended to implement continuous training and professional development programs be implemented for Lupong Tagapamayapa members to enhance their mediation skills, communication techniques, and legal knowledge for more effective conflict resolution.