The Supreme Court (SC) has taken the first step in training future family mediators, following the approval of the Rule on Family Mediation (Rule), A.M. No. 24-02-06-SC, in November last year.
Some fifty (50) aspiring family mediators took part in the first-ever Specialized Training on Family Mediation with Basic Mediation Course (Specialized Training Course) at The Judicial Academy of the Philippines in Tagaytay City from August 19 to 22, 2025, which sought to provide the participants with the knowledge, skills and techniques essential in the conduct of family mediation.
The Rule on Family Mediation encourages a non-adversarial process whereby a mediator, acting as an impartial third party, facilitates the resolution of family disputes, and helps the parties in reaching voluntary agreements.
Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) Vice Chancellor and retired SC Associate Justice Edgardo L. Delos Santos lauded the promulgation of the Rule as a significant stride in institutionalizing Alternative Dispute Resolution. He encouraged the participants to embrace the training wholeheartedly, recognizing it as a crucial milestone in the full implementation of the Rule.
SC Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, co-chairperson of the Supreme Court Committee on Family Courts and Juvenile Concerns (SC-CFCJC), which organized the training, emphasized the importance of helping keep the peace within families – as families shape futures, possibilities, and our nation.
“When you face the parties, keep in mind, too, of the future. Widen your vision and recognize that you are not merely resolving family conflicts,” she said. “In your hands is the power to help shape the emotional and moral foundation of our children and their children. So, always prioritize the welfare of the family and promote the best interests of the child. Champion compassion over contention. Be the voice of reason, when reason has left the room.”
The training was organized by the SC-CFCJC and its Sub-Technical Working Group on the Rule on Family Mediation (Sub-TWG on the RFM), in cooperation with the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) Court Management Office-Philippine Mediation Division (CMO-PMD) and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA). It was supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Government of Australia through its Fostering Advancement of Inclusive and Right-Based Justice (FAIR Justice) Program.
The OCA’s CMO-PMD recruits and selects qualified family mediators. Assistant Court Administrator Lilian C. Barribal-Co stressed that the future work of family mediators is more than just a profession, but a service to the community. She added: “Kindly remember that for every successful mediation, you don’t just resolve disputes, but you help preserve the very core of our society, strengthening the foundation of our nation, the family.”
The Specialized Training featured interactive lectures, simulations and role-playing, where participants were divided into groups and each were given an opportunity to act out their role as family mediators through all the stages of family mediation. The role-playing session allowed the participants to apply the basket of tools, skills and techniques they had learned, with the guidance of trained Judicial Dispute Resolution (JDR) judges.
Local lecturers and moderators included members of the SC-CFCJC and its Sub-TWG on the RFM: Retired Chief Justice Hon. Teresita J. Leonardo-De Castro; Court of Appeals Associate Justice and CFCJC Vice-Chairperson Justice Geraldine C. Fiel-Macaraig; Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega; Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Lorifel Lacap Pahimna; Court of Appeals Associate Justice and chairperson of the Sub-TWG on the RFM Justice Angelene Mary W. Quimpo-Sale; Court of Appeals Associate Justice Emily L. San Gaspar-Gito; Court of Appeals Associate Justice Jose Lorenzo R. De La Rosa; Presiding Judge Cristina F. Javalera-Sulit, Branch 140, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Makati City; Presiding Judge Sita Jose Clemente, Branch 16, RTC, Malolos City; Presiding Judge Cesar Pabel D. Sulit, Branch 162, RTC, Pasig City; Presiding Judge Sittie Laarni R. Umpa, Branch 9, RTC, Marawi City; Presiding Judge Mohammad Aquil A. Tamano, Branch 77, RTC, San Mateo, Rizal; Former Chief of Office of the Philippine Mediation Center, Retired Judge Mona Lisa V. Tiongson-Tabora; Retired Family Court Judge Rosalina L. Luna-Pison; Retired Family Court Judge Evelyn G. Nery; SC Court Management Office Chief Atty. Laura C.H. Del Rosario; and SC OCA-CMO Chief Atty. Marilou Marzan-Anigan.
They were joined by trained JDR Judges and seasoned PHILJA lecturers Presiding Judge James T. Sy, Branch 187, RTC, City of Manila; Presiding Judge Rico Sebastian D. Liwanag, Branch 136, RTC, Makati City; Retired Family Court Judge Maria Celestina C. Cruz-Mangrobang; Dr. Norieta Calma-Balderrama; and Ms. Gloria Z. Seno and psychology expert Dr. Grace Aguiling-Dalisay.
In recognition of Australia’s unwavering support in the Philippine Judiciary’s ardent efforts to institutionalize family mediation, Atty. Freia Carlton, Associate Director of the Victoria Legal Aid, Australia was invited to speak about Australia’s Family Dispute Resolution Services.
She highlighted their child-inclusive practice of “Kids Talk” where children and young people old enough are encouraged, with parents’ (and lawyers’) consent, to meet a child specialist who skilfully engages with children, and with their consent provides verbal feedback to parents and carers prior to a mediation session. Atty. Carlton also shared good mediation techniques and practices and facilities, infrastructure and support services they have made available to parties availing of family dispute resolution services.
To conclude the four-day Specialized Training Course, SC Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, in his closing remarks, recognized the significant role of family mediators in our justice system, saying: “Mediation is not simply a professional skill; it is a calling of service. As family mediators, you now carry the responsibility to practice with impartiality, with confidentiality, and with compassion. You may not wear a robe, you may not sit on the bench, but your work is no less vital. You are the quiet healers of our justice system.
(Courtesy of the Supreme Court Committee on Family Courts and Juvenile Concerns; Photos courtesy of the Philippine Judicial Academy)
