Their initiatives were not wasted but recognized and awarded by the Regional Awards Committee (RAC) that conducted the search for Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentive Awards (LTIA) in region IX.
Winning barangays in different categories received Php 50,000.00 each namely: Brgy. Sto. Niño, Pagadian City for the component city category; Brgy. Siare, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte for 1st to 3rd class municipality and Brgy. Poblacion, San Pablo, Zamboanga del Sur for the 4th and 6th class category.
Regional Awards Committee was composed of Regional Director for DILG as the Chairperson and the Regional State Prosecutor of DOJ as the Vice-chairman. Members consist of RTC Executive Judge, RPOC representative, President of Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) Regional Chapter and two (2) representatives from region-based Non- Government Organizations (NGOs).
DILG Regional Director Paisal O. Abutazil said that the search sought to measure the efficiency in operations through observance of settlement procedures, the effectiveness in securing the objectives of the Katarungang Pambarangay (KP) program measurable through quantity and quality of settled cases and creativity and resourcefulness of Lupong Tagapamayapa (LT) in sustaining the advocacy effort in the promotion of KP.
Meanwhile, Regional KP Focal Person Marilyn Arasa informed that regional winners are automatically nominated for the National Award which accordingly be declared before the year ends.
Arasa said that the monetary incentive can be used in the form of capacity building activities or supplies and equipment needed to sustain their effective and efficient performance of their duties.
“As to the amount, Brgy. Sto. Niño informed that it will be used in the improvement of their office while Brgy. Siare, Sindangan will use it on Lakbay-Aral among the Lupon to learn new innovation and replicate other best practices”, Arasa added.
The LTIA was established pursuant to Section 406b of the Local Government Code of 1991 which mandates the DILG to grant economic and other incentives to LT for their outstanding contributions to attain the objectives of the Katarungang Pambarangay.