Dispute Resolution System and Community Institutional Trust in Barangay San Jose

Abstract

This study assessed the level of the Dispute Resolution System and Community Institutional Trust among residents in Barangay San Jose, Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed to determine the relationship between the two variables. The respondents of this study were the 351 residents of Barangay San Jose, selected through a random sampling technique. Two sets of adapted questionnaires were used to obtain information from the respondents regarding local governance and mediation processes. The findings revealed that the overall level of the Dispute Resolution System in terms of disposition of cases, timeliness, communication, and documentation, and resolution of the case was high. The results indicated that the dispute resolution system effectively utilizes its procedural mandate to manage local conflicts. Similarly, the investigation found that the level of Community Institutional Trust in terms of settlement of filed cases, satisfaction of clients involved, and referral of cases was also high. This suggests that residents demonstrate confidence in the fairness and integrity of their local mediators. Furthermore, the results showed that communication and documentation received the highest mean within the dispute resolution system, while timeliness received the relatively lowest mean. In terms of institutional trust, the settlement of filed cases garnered the highest mean, while referral of cases was the lowest. A significant relationship was found between the effectiveness of the dispute resolution system and the level of community institutional trust. Crucially, the study found a significant difference in perceptions of both dispute resolution and institutional trust when respondents were grouped by age and length of stay, whereas gender showed no significant difference. Therefore, it is hoped that this study provides valuable insights for the Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) to optimize its mediation strategies through targeted legal literacy and inclusive governance, ultimately fostering long-term social cohesion and peace within the community.