‘NO to criminals at 9!”
Rep. Jocelyn Sy-Limkaichong of the First District of Negros Oriental strongly protested the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility during a forum at the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City last Wednesday.
The forum was organized by the Children’s Legal Bureau Inc. (CLB), Child Rights Network (CRN), Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and the province of Cebu.
Limkaichong appealed to the participants, advocates of children’s rights, to rally before their respective local and national legislators not to vote for House Bill 002 which seeks to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 9 years old.
The proposed bill seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344, or the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006, which was strengthened by the amendments of RA 10630 pursuant to Article 40 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children.
RA 9344 was amended by RA 10630, which strengthens the Juvenile Justice System, but it retained the age of criminal responsibility as above 15 years of age but strengthened interventions, particularly for those aged 12 to 15 committing serious crimes and those who are repeat offenders.
Limkaichong said she is not a member of any committee discussing the proposed measure, but she is going out to support groups who are against the bill.
Janelle Rabe of PLCPD said not all legislators want to jail children, citing the proposed measure filed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, which focuses on treating the root of the problem on juvenile offenders and to undertake programs to prevent children from committing crimes.
Similar measures are also being proposed by Sens. Leila de Lima, Grace Poe and Riza Hontiveros.
Rabe called on the participants to help in the campaign against reverting the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 9 years old using #ChildrenNotCriminals and sign the petition online.
Ma. Margarita Ardivilla, child protection specialist of the United Nations Children’s Fund, said the “best interest of the child” shall be the primary consideration in all actions undertaken by the government to give all the opportunity for children to develop their potentials.
“Basically, nothing is wrong with the law,” said lawyer Noemi Abarientos, CLB program coordinator. She emphasized that detention is the last resort as provided for under the existing law.
In its position paper, CLB said it has always been their position not to repeal RA 9344.
Image credits: Charles R. Pepito