The Supreme Court (SC) has conducted its second specialized training program for family mediators as part of efforts to strengthen the non-adversarial resolution of family disputes.

The three-day Specialized Training on Family Mediation with Basic Mediation Course was held from 11 to 13 August at the Court of Appeals Auditorium in Manila through the SC Committee on Family Courts and Juvenile Concerns and its Sub-Technical Working Group on the Rule on Family Mediation.

The SC said the program seeks to address the growing need for specialized mediation in cases involving family disputes, which often involve complex personal and emotional concerns alongside legal issues.

The high court earlier promulgated the Rule on Family Mediation, which took effect on 29 December 2024.

The rule promotes a non-adversarial process in which an impartial mediator facilitates the resolution of family disputes and assists parties in reaching a voluntary agreement.

Following the first specialized family mediation training held in 2025, this year’s program sought to equip screened applicants with the knowledge and skills needed before undergoing an immersion program and eventually seeking accreditation as family mediators.

The training was conducted in partnership with the Office of the Court Administrator’s Court Management Office-Philippine Mediation Division and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA).

Retired SC Associate Justice and then PHILJA Acting Chancellor Edgardo Delos Santos, who has since become PHILJA Chancellor, opened the training by highlighting family mediation as an innovation in the delivery of justice.

He stressed that family disputes often involve not only legal concerns but also complicated personal and emotional issues affecting family members.

“The promulgation of the Rule on Family Mediation under A.M. No. 24-02-06-SC marks an important development in the administration of justice,” Delos Santos said.

“It recognizes that family disputes require a specialized approach, one that is responsive not only to legal issues but also to the human realities underlying family conflict,” he added.

Delos Santos said the training forms part of the Judiciary’s efforts to strengthen implementation of the rule by preparing future mediators to help families resolve conflicts through dialogue, understanding and mutually acceptable solutions while protecting children and other vulnerable family members.

Court Administrator Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta, meanwhile, reminded participants that family mediation goes beyond legal provisions, procedures and techniques, as each case involves people dealing with difficult and deeply personal challenges.

She stressed the need to understand the realities facing Filipino families, including separation due to distance and migration, cultural differences and changing family dynamics, to effectively and compassionately address family disputes.