An in-depth dispute resolution (ADR) training focusing on mediation for the Department of Justice Action Center (DOJAC) was held to further improve their capacity to handle cases.

This is part of the commitment to uphold fair and equitable “Justice for All” in pioneering ADR training to capacitate them with knowledge and skills in utilizing ADR mechanisms to effectively handle or resolve disputes. 

Under its citizen's charter, DOJAC is mandated to provide mediation services to clients or parties in conflict with mediatable cases. 

The mediation training is conducted in cooperation with the Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution (OADR), led by OADR Executive Director Raizza D. Andaman, with the direct supervision of DOJAC Undersecretary-in-Charge  Margarita N. Gutierrez and  Program Director Assistant State Prosecutor (ASP) Joan Carla V. Guevarra.  Around a hundred DOJAC lawyers and DOJ frontliners stationed across the nation, including private lawyers from the Intergrated Bar of the Philippines and law student paralegals, benefited from the training held on Wednesday at the Justice Halls of the DOJ main office in Ermita, Manila.

The ADR training was divided into three sessions and mainly focused on the significance of ADR mechanisms, particularly mediation, in managing, mitigating, and resolving disputes.

The first session was an overview of existing ADR processes being addressed and encountered by the DOJAC as an office on a day-to-day basis.

Following this is the second session, which is a thorough discussion of the mediation process, its features, and ethical considerations as applied in the context of DOJAC’s mandate.

Last but not least is an integration of key concepts and learning points established throughout the activity to ensure that participants have fully grasped the wisdom they need about ADR and mediation.

“Mediation is indeed an essential tool to resolve conflicts and promote understanding and harmony among people without the burden of going through the tedious and costly process of litigation, most importantly, in a world where practicality must reign supreme to save precious time and avoid unnecessary expenses,” Usec Gutierrez said.

 “While legal action is inevitable in some disputes or conflicts, it is important to keep in mind that courts are not the only avenues to resolve such disagreements considering that legal intervention often leads to a lengthy, costly, and stressful series of processes; hence, ADR and mediation, at some times, hold the keys towards the best path to justice,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla stated.

“Thank you for this initiative. I hope you will continue advocating alternative dispute resolutions," he added.