Alternative dispute resolution
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The Alternative Dispute Resolution System is now an institution in the Philippines. This was made possible by the enactment of Republic Act 9285 which established the system. We are happy over this development which we have been advocating since 1971 after Ramon Jr.’s graduation from the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute in Tokyo where he learned about the system. R.A. 9285 is designed to achieve speedy and impartial justice as well as to declog court dockets. Its declaration of policy states that “the State shall provide means for the use of ADR as an efficient tool and an alternative procedure for the resolution of appropriate cases” and to “enlist active private Sector participation in the settlement of disputes through ADR.” The system has been used in Japan and other Asian countries for the past several decades. The system runs parallel to the paralegal practice in Canada and in the United States where disputes are resolved fast by paralegal practitioners. There is no problem of congestion in the courts, because the lawyers concentrate on the cases on their merits. With the institutionalization of the ADR in the Philippines, we invite our readers’ attention to the existence of The Manila Times Institute for Paralegal Studies which endows its students with a comprehensive knowledge of the laws (substantive and remedial) and jurisprudence in the Philippines and other countries. Perhaps the institute can be tapped for the implementation of the ADR system. It is willing to give seminars in the provinces to familiarize local officials, including those in the barangays, with their duties and obligations. The lecturers are experts in their lines of endeavor. More : abs-cbnnews.com |