Reaction Paper Regarding on International Lecture Series

12 November 2019, an International Lecture Series was conducted at

Tarlac State University Main, AVR attended by Law Students, Professors and
Faculty Members together with Judge Hermin Arceo and Atty. Lina Fe Mosuela-
Manio as our resource speakers. The lectures were all about “Katarungang
Pambarangay” and Divorce.

Judge Hermin Arceo was a powerful and effective speaker. He offered

new perspective to specific topics and exposed his listeners to teachings drawn
from real-life experiences that better retained in our taught. As the lecture goes,
it was became more interesting and appealing to his audience. He discussed Local
Government Code specifically “Katarungang Pambarangay” (KP) or the
Barangay Justice System and explain well how the central feauture of KP worked
and their functions as well. As I continued to listen to Judge Arceo, I have learned
that Katarungang Pambarangay was an extra-governmental mechanism aimed at
perpetuating the time-honored tradition of amicably settling interpersonal
disputes in a community without recourse to the formal legal system or
confrontational social behavior. The central feature of the system was the
Lupong Tagapamayapa, a community-based conflict resolution effort that was
highly supportive of the notions of social ordering and human development.
While the speedy administration of justice was the immediate concern of the
Katarungang Pambarangay, of equal importance was leadership building and
community empowerment as the resultant effects of institutionalizing the
system. He clarified the concept by giving examples that will truly captivate our
attentions. He also defined Katarungang Pambarangay was a system of justice
administered at the barangay level for the purpose of amicable settling disputes
through mediation, conciliation or arbitration among the family or barangay
without resorting to the courts and the structures of it. He stimulated our
interests to the topic he discussed.
Atty. Lina Fe Mosuela-Manio was also an excellent speaker. She explained
the meaning of divorce, types of divorce, jurisdiction, grounds of divorce,
judgement, reconciliation of parties, death if a party, appeal proceedings, Res
Judicata, comparison of various petitions affecting marriage and divorce in
California in Nutchell. As the lecture proceeded, I have learned that annulment
was much different from divorce. Divorces and annulments both have the same
effect--they dissolved the marriage. However, they differed in how they treated
the marriage. When people get a divorced, they're still recognized as having been
married previously. An annulment, on the other hand, treats the marriage as
though it never existed -- and in fact, the key distinction of an annulment is that
the union wasn't legal or legitimate to begin with. The doctrine of Res Judicata
effect on judgement of dissolution: Generally, the doctrine of
Res Judicata gives conclusive effect to a prior judgment of dissolution in any
subsequent litigation between the same parties involving the same controversy.
Although the doctrine do apply to dissolution judgements, the bar to subsequent
litigation created by Res Judicata is not absolute in dissolution proceedings. First,
certain orders in a dissolution judgement (principally child custody and support,
and spousal support) as these orders are modifiable based on showing of change
of circumstances, the court has continuing jurisdiction to modify this orders.
Second, the court may reserve the jurisdiction to divide some or all of the
community property interests at a later date and has continuing jurisdiction to
divide community property interests that were not previously adjudicated. (Like
community property that was in the meantime temporarily awarded to the spouse
who has custody over minor children. The disposal (sale) of the property and
division of until profit is dealt until children reaches the adult age.)

It was a good honored indeed to have these resource speakers. They have
good interaction as well as entertained deliberation of their lectures. They make
sure their listeners will remember that knowledge acquired long enough until we
will also be the one to teach to others.