The lowering of the age of criminality
is creating a big misunderstanding among the citizenry.
Malacanang has already made a statement
regarding the issue, there will be no imprisonment imposed upon nine-year-olds
who commit crimes, after the House of Representatives (HOR) justice panel
approved a bill lowering the age of criminality from 15 to 9 years old.
Presidential Spokesperson and
concurrent Presidential Legal Adviser Atty. Salvador Panelo made this remark
after UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard who
called the measure “dangerous” and “potentially deadly.”
 |
| Atty. Salvador Panelo (photo credit to owner) |
Panelo explains there will be youth
care facilities for those juveniles aged 10 to17 years old who commit exclusive
offenses and they will not be brought to prisons.
“No penalty of imprisonment would be
imposed upon children nine-years-old and below while those juveniles who are
above nine-years old but below 18 years of age who commit any of the 10
exclusive offenses, such as murder or rape, would be brought to youth care
facilities (not prison facilities) supervised by a multi-disciplinary team,
which includes doctors, psychologists and social workers, among others,” Panelo
said in a statement.
Panelo explains that he has confidence
that in the legislating of such law, the HOR will ensure that due
considerations on the protective rights of the child are weighed in.
Under the bill, the maximum penalty for
individuals and criminal syndicates found guilty of exploiting children
to be youth offenders is reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.
Panelo explains that the detractors of
the Duterte administration continue to “drown” the proposed law without even
reading the whole bill and totally ignore the reality that the measure is meant
to protect the youth.
“They simply have not read the
provisions of the bill hence their opposition is based either on blissful
ignorance or pretended misinformation. They are either unaware or ignore the
reality that criminals have become smart as to use the present law in
exploiting the children to assist them in committing their crimes,” Atty. Panelo
said.
The bill has the intent to protect the
children from those criminals who victimize and coerce them to become offenders
especially due to the surge of numbers in offenses committed by children.
“The proposed law will deter criminals
from using children as their accomplices or in treating them as pawns in
committing crimes,” Atty. Panelo said.
“What the intended legislation does is
actually to provide means of rehabilitation in favor of those youth who have
freely and discerningly committed a crime,” Panelo added.
Duterte’s intent
The President is committed in providing
Filipino children with a safe and peaceful environment by going after the
principals and main actors of crime groups.
Atty. Panelo explains the statement of
President Duterte regarding the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006 (RA 9344),
which exempts children 15 years old and below from criminal liability, has
created a new generation of criminals.
“To the mind of the President, the
current law has laid the foundation for the emergence of a new generation of
criminals.
When minors are released in as many times as they are arrested,
criminality becomes a part of their lives and thereby evolving into being
full-blown criminals,” Panelo said.
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