SALINLAHI Alliance for Children’s Concerns commends Miss Universe 2019 Catriona Gray’s statement against the lowering of minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Catriona Gray’s statement against the lowering of minimum age of criminal responsibility is a strong voice of support to the movement advocating against its passage in congress.
As fellow child rights advocate, we welcome her well-grounded stand on the issue and we believe that this will contribute to the efforts to block the proposed amendments to the Juvenile Justice law and enact measure that will further place our children of poor families in a very vulnerable situation.
We hope that Catriona’s stand will also give courage to and influence other public personalities to bravely voice out their position. We need more personalities in the likes of Catriona who does not only have empathy to children but also a clear understanding of the harsh circumstances that many of our children live in up to this day.
However, we are disheartened and at the same time enraged with how Malacañang responded by claiming that Catriona is misinformed and needs to be educated.
We believe that Catriona Gray is more informed than the government on the issue. She is more aware that the children are victims and are not criminals contrary to what the government would want us to believe. Catriona knows that there are underlying factors such as poverty that forces the children to commit crimes while the government are more concerned on criminalizing them.
Moreover, it is the Duterte government that is notorious for spreading misinformation and disinformation in order to cover up its failure in addressing pressing issues in the country. In particular, the government continues to deny the fact that children will be not be placed in jails discounting the appalling reality that we are lacking with Bahay Pag-asa while many of the established government rehabilitation centers are worse than prisons.
We reiterate our call to fully implement the existing law, Juvenile Justice Welfare Act, instead of lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
We would be glad to enjoin Catriona in our campaign together with other child rights advocates and supporters while the congressional session is on break. We should exert concerted efforts in educating the children and other people about the issue. – EULE RICO BONGANAY, secretary-general, Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns, 2F 90 J. Bugallon St., Brgy. Bagumbuhay, Project 4, Quezon City <www.salinlahi.org>
