First Impression!

[jimeve]

8 hours ago, hk blues said:

Pretty much as Mike explained above, the Barangay is below Town Hall but would be the 1st port of call before taking it to the municipal level.  Given the small fine issued I would have thought it was at Barangay level.  Our Barangay Hall actually has a small courtroom with judges seat etc.

 

 

Indeed, Been in there a few time in front of the barangay Captain making complaints, waste of my time and theirs. First time I heard it call a court though, just a room with a few wooden seats.

[hk blues]

17 hours ago, jimeve said:

Indeed, Been in there a few time in front of the barangay Captain making complaints, waste of my time and theirs. First time I heard it call a court though, just a room with a few wooden seats.

Yep...I've never needed the 'court' as yet but, as I say, ours is actually set out like a court would be with a 'Judge's seat' on a platform and a wooden bench opposite. 

[earthdome]

My only time to be called before a Barangay captain was complaint of a neighbor. The issue was found in our favor though and complainat had to try and save face. Helped that I wrote up a summary of what occurred and had another neighbor there who supported us.

[hk blues]

I guess it's a reflection on how folk here communicate (or don't) about difficult situations that they need some form of officialdom to mediate.  

In the UK it would be a matter of 'having a word' in a civil manner and resolving things between us - most of the time it worked as such a system kind of nips problems in the bud before they become real problems.  Not always, but usually.

Edited July 26 by hk blues

[Mike J]

13 hours ago, hk blues said:

In the UK it would be a matter of 'having a word' in a civil manner and resolving things between us - most of the time it worked as such a system kind of nips problems in the bud before they become real problems.  Not always, but usually.

Doing it face to face here can result in a bolo fight.   To avoid confrontation and potential loss of face by either party, the barangay council provides a neutral ground for resolving issues.

Source - Google search terms "social concept of hiya relationships in the Philippines"

<snip>In Filipino society, it's considered a serious social misstep to "lose face" or cause embarrassment to yourself or others. "Hiya" acts as a protective mechanism against such situations, encouraging individuals to be mindful of their words and actions to avoid causing offense or disrupting social harmony. <end snip>

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

Doing it face to face here can result in a bolo fight.   To avoid confrontation and potential loss of face by either party, the barangay council provides a neutral ground for resolving issues.

Source - Google search terms "social concept of hiya relationships in the Philippines"

<snip>In Filipino society, it's considered a serious social misstep to "lose face" or cause embarrassment to yourself or others. "Hiya" acts as a protective mechanism against such situations, encouraging individuals to be mindful of their words and actions to avoid causing offense or disrupting social harmony. <end snip>

I fully understand that - hence why I said it's a reflection of folk here.  

Also, isn't it a bit of a stretch to say the Barangay provides a neutral ground ground given the outcome will favour one or other party and a feeling of resentment may still happen?  Sure, it reduces the likelihood of a fist fight (or worse) in the heat of the moment but the loss of face may even be worse when it's known to the community as a Barangay case would likely be.  How often do we on this very forum discuss how disputes can turn ugly and I'm sure the majority of those disputes went through the Barangay system.  

I guess as an ugly foreigner there are some things I just don't think stand up to much scrutiny and this is one of them.