Terms of Service

1. Introduction

These Terms of Service, referred to as the “Terms,” govern access to and use of the Katarungang Pambarangay Management System, referred to as “KPMS” or the “System,” provided by DevolveSphere Management Consultancy Services, referred to as “DevolveSphere.”

These Terms apply to authorized users, barangays, cities, municipalities, local government units, subscribing organizations, administrators, officials, personnel, and other persons who access or use KPMS.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing the System, using any KPMS feature, downloading generated forms, subscribing to a KPMS service, or continuing to use the System after these Terms become effective, the user and the subscribing organization acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms.

A person who accesses KPMS on behalf of a barangay, local government unit, organization, or institution represents that they are authorized to act on behalf of that entity.

3. Description of KPMS

KPMS is a digital case-management and document-automation platform designed to support the administration of Katarungang Pambarangay processes.

The System may include features for:

• Recording and managing barangay disputes and case information.
• Managing complainants, respondents, witnesses, officials, and other case participants.
• Scheduling mediation, conciliation, arbitration, and related proceedings.
• Generating notices, summons, certifications, settlements, reports, and official KP forms.
• Monitoring case status, hearing results, settlement, execution, and referral.
• Managing user accounts, roles, permissions, and barangay assignments.
• Preparing reports, dashboards, analytics, and administrative records.
• Providing subscription, support, implementation, training, and account-management services.

4. Eligibility and Authorized Use

KPMS may be used only by persons who are legally capable of entering into binding obligations and who have been properly authorized by the relevant subscribing organization.

Users must access the System only for lawful, official, and authorized purposes connected with Katarungang Pambarangay administration, barangay governance, system administration, subscription management, technical support, or other approved organizational functions.

5. User Accounts

Access to KPMS may require registration, approval, email verification, subscription activation, role assignment, or other account-control procedures.

Each user is responsible for:

• Providing accurate and complete registration information.
• Maintaining the confidentiality of account credentials.
• Using only the account assigned to them.
• Promptly reporting suspected unauthorized access or credential compromise.
• Ensuring that actions performed through their account are lawful and authorized.

Users must not share passwords, transfer accounts, impersonate another person, or permit unauthorized individuals to access KPMS.

6. Roles and Permissions

KPMS may assign different permissions based on user roles, official functions, organizational assignments, subscription status, or administrative approval.

The subscribing organization is responsible for ensuring that user roles and permissions are appropriate, current, and limited to personnel with a legitimate official need for access.

DevolveSphere may restrict, suspend, or modify permissions when necessary to protect the System, comply with law, enforce these Terms, or address security and administrative concerns.

7. Responsibilities of the Subscribing Organization

The subscribing organization is responsible for:

• Ensuring lawful collection and processing of personal and case information.
• Designating authorized users and administrators.
• Maintaining the accuracy and completeness of records entered into KPMS.
• Protecting confidential information and official documents.
• Reviewing system-generated forms before official issuance or use.
• Maintaining appropriate local policies, records-management procedures, and access controls.
• Ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and government requirements.
• Paying applicable subscription, implementation, training, support, or license fees.

8. Accuracy of Information

Users are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, legality, and appropriateness of all information entered, uploaded, imported, edited, or generated through KPMS.

DevolveSphere does not independently verify the truth, legal sufficiency, or evidentiary value of user-provided information.

System-generated forms and reports must be reviewed by authorized officials before they are signed, issued, submitted, transmitted, or relied upon for official action.

9. Acceptable Use

Users must use KPMS responsibly and must not:

• Use the System for unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, abusive, or unauthorized purposes.
• Access case records or personal information without a legitimate official purpose.
• Disclose confidential information to unauthorized persons.
• Upload malicious code, harmful files, or content designed to disrupt the System.
• Attempt to bypass authentication, permissions, security controls, subscription restrictions, or account safeguards.
• Probe, scan, test, reverse engineer, copy, modify, or interfere with KPMS except as expressly authorized.
• Use automated tools to overload, scrape, extract, or disrupt the System.
• Misrepresent system-generated output as independently verified legal advice or judicial action.
• Use KPMS in a manner that violates applicable law, regulation, court order, or government policy.

10. Prohibited Content

Users must not upload or process content that is unlawful, malicious, defamatory, fraudulent, infringing, unrelated to legitimate official purposes, or reasonably likely to cause harm to individuals, organizations, or the System.

Sensitive information should be limited to what is reasonably necessary for lawful and authorized case-management purposes.

11. Privacy and Data Protection

Use of KPMS is also governed by the DevolveSphere KPMS Privacy Policy and other applicable data-protection commitments.

The subscribing organization remains responsible for determining the lawful basis, purpose, retention, accuracy, access, disclosure, and official use of information entered into KPMS.

DevolveSphere processes information only as reasonably necessary to provide, secure, maintain, improve, and support the System, subject to applicable law and contractual obligations.

12. Confidentiality

Case records, personal information, settlement details, hearing records, generated forms, and administrative information may be confidential or subject to restricted access.

Users must preserve confidentiality and must not copy, export, print, disclose, transmit, or use restricted information except for lawful, authorized, and official purposes.

13. Subscription and Payment

Certain KPMS features, editions, support services, training services, implementation services, or account privileges may require payment.

Applicable fees, billing periods, onboarding charges, implementation fees, renewal terms, payment procedures, and subscription conditions may be specified in the applicable proposal, invoice, order form, subscription page, SaaS Agreement, implementation agreement, or written quotation.

Unless otherwise stated in writing, fees are exclusive of taxes, bank charges, payment-processing fees, travel expenses, venue costs, food, accommodation, equipment, and other implementation expenses.

14. Free Trials and Promotional Access

DevolveSphere may offer free trials, demonstrations, pilot access, promotional access, or limited-use accounts.

Trial or promotional access may be limited by duration, features, storage, number of users, number of barangays, support coverage, or other conditions.

DevolveSphere may suspend or end trial access when the applicable period expires, when the account becomes ineligible, or when these Terms are violated.

15. Suspension and Account Restriction

DevolveSphere may suspend, restrict, deactivate, or limit access to KPMS when reasonably necessary, including in cases involving:

• Expired or unpaid subscriptions.
• Suspected unauthorized access or credential compromise.
• Violation of these Terms or related agreements.
• Security threats, misuse, fraud, or unlawful activity.
• Requests from the subscribing organization or competent authority.
• Maintenance, emergency response, infrastructure failure, or legal compliance.

Where reasonably practicable, DevolveSphere may provide notice before or after a restriction is applied.

16. Availability and Maintenance

DevolveSphere aims to provide reliable access to KPMS but does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.

Access may be affected by scheduled maintenance, emergency maintenance, internet interruptions, cloud-provider outages, third-party service failures, device issues, local-network problems, software updates, security incidents, force majeure, or circumstances beyond reasonable control.

17. Updates and Changes to the System

DevolveSphere may update, improve, modify, replace, discontinue, or add System features, interfaces, workflows, security controls, reports, templates, forms, and technical components.

Changes may be introduced to improve performance, security, legal compliance, usability, compatibility, reliability, or supportability.

18. Third-Party Services

KPMS may depend on or integrate with third-party services such as cloud hosting, database infrastructure, storage, email delivery, payment processing, mapping, browser technologies, operating systems, or communication services.

DevolveSphere is not responsible for interruptions, changes, limitations, errors, security incidents, or service failures caused solely by third-party providers beyond DevolveSphere’s reasonable control.

19. Intellectual Property

KPMS, including its software, source code, design, interface, workflows, databases, documentation, branding, reports, templates, graphics, improvements, and related materials, is owned by or licensed to DevolveSphere and is protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

Access to KPMS does not transfer ownership of the System or any underlying intellectual property to the user or subscribing organization.

Users receive only the limited right to access and use KPMS according to the applicable subscription, license, agreement, and these Terms.

20. User Content and Official Records

The subscribing organization retains responsibility for information, records, documents, and materials it enters into or generates through KPMS.

The subscribing organization grants DevolveSphere the limited authority necessary to host, process, transmit, back up, secure, and technically manage such information for the purpose of providing KPMS services.

DevolveSphere does not acquire ownership of official barangay case records merely because those records are processed through the System.

21. Generated Forms and Legal Reliance

KPMS is designed to assist authorized officials in preparing documents and managing administrative workflows.

The System does not replace legal judgment, official review, statutory authority, procedural compliance, or professional legal advice.

Authorized officials remain responsible for confirming that generated forms, notices, certifications, settlements, and reports are accurate, complete, appropriate, and legally sufficient before official use.

22. Support Services

Support coverage may depend on the selected subscription, license, implementation package, support plan, or written agreement.

Support may include account assistance, technical troubleshooting, configuration guidance, updates, onboarding, user orientation, training, data-organization assistance, and implementation consultation.

Support does not include legal representation, legal opinions, judicial advice, or responsibility for official case decisions.

23. Backups and Data Export

DevolveSphere may maintain reasonable backup and recovery measures for the hosted edition of KPMS.

The subscribing organization should also maintain appropriate copies of critical official records, signed documents, exported reports, and other materials required for legal, administrative, or archival purposes.

Users of the Local Edition are responsible for local backups, device security, storage capacity, disaster recovery, and protection against hardware failure, malware, theft, or loss.

24. Disclaimer of Warranties

KPMS is provided on an “as available” basis, subject to the applicable subscription, license, proposal, or written agreement.

To the extent permitted by law, DevolveSphere does not guarantee that the System will always be uninterrupted, completely error-free, compatible with every device, immune from every security threat, or suitable for every particular administrative or legal requirement.

Users remain responsible for exercising official judgment and complying with applicable laws and procedures.

25. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, DevolveSphere will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, exemplary, or consequential damages arising from the use of or inability to use KPMS.

DevolveSphere is not responsible for losses caused by inaccurate data entry, unauthorized user actions, misuse of generated forms, failure to follow official procedures, loss of local devices, user credential sharing, third-party outages, or circumstances beyond reasonable control.

Any direct liability of DevolveSphere will be subject to the limitations stated in the applicable agreement, proposal, subscription document, or license.

26. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, the subscribing organization agrees to assume responsibility for claims, losses, liabilities, or expenses arising from its unlawful use of KPMS, unauthorized disclosure of information, inaccurate records, violation of these Terms, or failure to comply with applicable legal and administrative obligations.

27. Termination

Access to KPMS may end upon subscription expiration, license termination, organizational request, material breach, non-payment, discontinuation of service, or another basis stated in the applicable agreement.

Upon termination, users must stop accessing the System except where limited access is expressly allowed for data export, account closure, or legal compliance.

Provisions concerning confidentiality, intellectual property, payment, liability, record responsibility, dispute resolution, and other provisions that by their nature should survive termination will remain effective.

28. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, without prejudice to applicable laws, regulations, and official procedures governing local government units and Katarungang Pambarangay administration.

29. Dispute Resolution

The parties should first attempt to resolve concerns through good-faith discussion, documentation review, and coordination between authorized representatives.

If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it may be addressed according to the dispute-resolution provisions in the applicable subscription, implementation, SaaS, license, procurement, or service agreement.

30. Changes to These Terms

DevolveSphere may update these Terms to reflect changes in law, System functionality, security practices, service offerings, infrastructure, operational requirements, or contractual arrangements.

Updated Terms will indicate the applicable version, effective date, and last-updated date. Material changes may be communicated through KPMS, official email, account notices, contractual documentation, or other appropriate channels.

31. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.

32. Entire Understanding

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, applicable SaaS Agreement, Local Edition EULA, subscription documents, proposals, quotations, order forms, and written implementation agreements, constitute the applicable understanding governing use of KPMS.

Where a specific written agreement conflicts with these general Terms, the specific written agreement will control for the subject matter it expressly covers.

33. Contact Information

Questions concerning these Terms, subscriptions, access, implementation, support, or permitted use of KPMS may be submitted through the official DevolveSphere contact and support channels.