[2] The system exists to help decongest the regular courts and works mostly as "alternative, community-based mechanism for dispute resolution of conflicts,"[1] also described as a "compulsory mediation process at the village level.
[4] The Katarungang Pambarangay share characteristics with similar traditional, hybrid courts in other countries such as the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria and South Africa, among others.
"[5] Hybrid courts became a "middle ground for supporting community decision-making while simultaneously expanding the authority and reach of the state.
[7] Alfredo Flores Tadiar was the principal author of Presidential Decree 1508, The Katarungang Pambarangay Law,[8] and he also wrote its implementing rules, requiring prior conciliation as a condition for judicial recourse.
[citation needed] For 12 years (1980–1992), he was a member of the Committee of Consultants, Bureau of Local Government Supervision, which oversaw the nationwide operations of the Katarungang Pambarangay Law.
[9] Almost all civil disputes and many crimes with potential prison sentences of one year or less or fines of 5,000 Philippine pesos or less are subjected to the system.