36 In defense of land rights: A monitoring report on land conflicts in six Asian countries Philippines Several government line agencies deal with certain types of land disputes over public and private lands at national and regional levels. These agencies have quasi-judicial powers for resolving cases within their jurisdictions. (a) Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has jurisdiction over agrarian disputes involving private and government lands (b) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) covers lands of the public domain (c) National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) covers ancestral domains and claims Overall, quasi-judicial bodies and administrative mechanisms for dispute resolution are able to deliver quicker resolution of conflicts compared to courts. However, administrative mechanisms can only address specific types of issues within their own limited sectoral jurisdictions. Moreover, different agencies often have overlapping mandates and conflicting policies; and a common problem is the lack of coordination and cooperation among agencies. Administrative mechanisms are reactive; they deal with incoming issues on a case-by-case basis, and the process can be time-consuming. Changes in officials can cause major delays. Moreover, administrative dispute resolution mechanisms do not address broader land issues, such as providing land to landless families, resolving squatter issues, or strengthening land administration. Problems arise especially when public officials or the government itself is an involved party in the conflict, such as in cases that involve State-run enterprises, the granting of public land concessions, or where violence has occurred in which the police have been involved. In such cases, the impartiality of administrative mechanisms becomes questionable. An issue often raised is the transparency of relevant data and information. There is also a perceived lack of affirmative action when violators are business and State entities. In formal justice systems, the poor and small farmers are constrained by several other factors from obtaining justice – i.e., limited procedural knowledge regarding resolution of land conflicts, no access to or understanding of the court and land administration systems. ANGOC n Local governments. In Nepal, the Village Panchayat Act gives authority to local governments for resolving disputes related to public land, boundaries, wages, trespassing, sources of water, pasture land and collection of grass and firewood. In the Philippines, the Barangay Justice System also provides an alternative, community-based mechanism for