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BY DARYL LASAFIN
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Tuesday, March 7, 2017
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Children play basketball in a slum in the Philippines. If the House Bill No. 2 becomes a law, children as young as 9 years old may be held criminally liable. HISTORICAL SPORT / TWITTER
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ILOILO – Opponents of the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility have gained an ally in the Social Development Committee (SDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) 6.
SDC members agreed to support the campaign against reducing criminal liability age to 9 from 15, according to the RDC.
“The SDC is expected to endorse [a] resolution of support for the campaign … to the Regional Development Council during its first quarter meeting on March 30,” the RDC said in a press release.
The plan is contained in House Bill No. 2, the proposed “Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility Act,” which seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344, or the Juvenile Delinquency Act of 2006.
The latter law also known as the Pangilinan Act — it was named after Senate author Francis Pangilinan — raised the minimum age to 15 from 9.
Authors of the new measure, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte, 1st District) and Fredenil Castro (Capiz, 2nd District), want to revert this.
SDC members came up with the decision on Feb. 28 after Katherine Lamprea of the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (RJJWC) presented to them their position paper on the House bill.
According to the RDC, the petition paper highlights, among others, various points regarding lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility:
* It will not stop children from involvement in crimes.
* It will not help reduce the crime rate in the Philippines since adults commit more (around 98 percent) of crimes reported in the country.
* It will not protect or help children, as it is against the best interest of the child and will further re-victimize them.
* It will be costly and burdensome to the government.
* It ignores scientific proof on children’s brain development.
* It is against our legal obligations as a State Party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
* It is unconstitutional.
* It is not the solution. Instead, government should address the gaps and ensure the full implementation of RA 9344, as amended by RA 10630.
SDC members also signed the 1-million signature campaign dubbed “I SAY NO TO LOWERING OF MACR.”
The RJJWC encouraged them and the public to support the campaign by visiting www.change.org/p/petition-no-to-lowering-of-minimum-age-of-criminal-responsiblitity and signing the petition, the RDC said./PN
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