The Justice department through the Office of the Alternative Dispute Resolution on Wednesday cautioned warring parties against the settlement of their disputes through live television programs.

OADR Executive Director Irene Alogoc said confidentiality in settling issues out of court was necessary.

“I think we would not recommend such television programs because our number one consideration if you go to ADR is the confidentiality of it all,” Alogoc said during the virtual press conference for the coming first-ever national alternative dispute resolution convention scheduled on Dec. 2 to 4.

Alogoc said one of the things that ADR arbitrators were trying to preserve in mediation was the relationship of the parties.

“If you make it publicly there’s some kind, some sort of damage already on the parties, some will prejudge you already. That is why it is actually contrary to the goal of the OADR, which is to preserve relationships,” she said.

The DOJ-OADR’s three-day national convention, which will be conducted virtually, is expecting around 1,000 participants from the government, the private sector, the academe and the business sector.

According to Alogoc, there is a need to strengthen the ADR considering that it usually takes years to resolve disputes that have been brought before the courts.

“Personally, we really believe that we can settle these cases out of court, that is why we have the layers of the ADR within our government,” she said.

During the convention, Alogoc says, there will be discussions on the country’s official system on ADR as well as the role being played by the private sector to implement ADR.

Mediation practitioners, arbitrators, representatives from various institutions, lawyers and non-lawyers who are being trained to provide ADR services have been invited to participate in the event.

Alogoc also said another important issue to be discussed during the convention was the adoption of online dispute resolutions since the pandemic had forced millions of people to conduct their purchases online.

“That is the trend now. Since the pandemic everything now is being done online, and that is why we have to go with the times. That is why we are having online dispute resolutions as a primary topic on the second day. We are having the Department of Trade and Industry on that day and other consumer groups,” Alogoc said.