The concept of the village is the nonexistent since every house or household cluster operates rather independently, except during marriage and funeral feasts. The T'boli have the datu ( chieftain ) to whom people go for interpretations of T'boli customs and traditions and for the settlement of intertribal disputes. Wisdom and a proficiency in the knowledge of T'boli traditions are the deciding factors that make litigants consult one datu and not the other. The position of the datu is not hereditary. One datu does not enjoy primacy over the others, nor does he exercise specific jurisdictional control over specific areas or groups. Other datu might accord deferential treatment to one of their members, but this is not a sign of his superiority over of them.
T'bolis are governed through a rich layer of custom law and tradition. There is no body of written laws nor do the datu rule by decree. Custom law and tradition are usually inculcated among the T'boli in the numerous folktales and folk beliefs that are transmitted orally from childhood. Transgressions of the custom laws or sala do not have a corresponding penalty in the penological sense. Rather, offenses are penalized by tamok ( fines ). If unable to pay the tamok, which is usually in the form of land, horses, cattle, money, or other movable or immovable property, the offender must render service to the aggrieved party for a period of time.
Grave felonies and transgressions of custom laws which would bring harm to the community can be punished by ostracism and, in extreme cases, death furthermore,T'bolis believe that violation of custom laws and traditions are also punished by the gods, so the perpetrator is doubly penalized. Disputes arising from the contract, quasi-contract, and the interpretation of custom laws are decided by the datu after consultation with the elders of the tribe who are known to be well-versed in tribal tradition.
