Lowering Age Criminal Responsibility Sparks Fierce Debate
MANILA — The proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10 has ignited strong opposition from lawmakers and advocates alike. Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima condemned the move, calling it an “abdication” rather than true justice.
De Lima spoke out after a bill was filed to amend Republic Act No. 9344, known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006. The law currently protects children under 15 from being held criminally liable. However, Senator Robinhood Padilla’s measure seeks to reduce that age to 10, sparking controversy.
Children Are Not Criminals
“A child is not a criminal. A lost child should not be locked up but talked to, cared for, and given hope,” De Lima said during her statement. She emphasized that lowering the age of criminal responsibility does not solve the root problems of crime.
“We do not fix a broken justice system by putting its weight on the smallest, weakest shoulders,” she added. “We fix it by asking hard questions: Bakit may batang nalululong sa krimen? Sino ang tunay na nakikinabang sa mga pagkakasalang ito? Saan tayo nagkulang bilang lipunan?” (Why do some children get involved in crime? Who benefits from these crimes? Where have we failed as a society?)
Repeating Failed Ideas
De Lima criticized the bill as a “recycled idea that refuses to die,” despite being repeatedly challenged by child rights advocates and human rights defenders. She argued that the proposed law punishes trauma instead of addressing crime.
“This bill does not address crime. It punishes trauma. It does not protect society. It betrays children we have already failed,” she said. Instead, she urged the government to focus on implementing the existing Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which she described as “clear and progressive.”
Focus on Rehabilitation and Support
De Lima raised concerns over the lack of facilities and trained staff to support children in conflict with the law. “How many of our LGUs have proper Bahay Pag-asa? How many have enough social workers, psychologists, and trained personnel to offer real intervention and reintegration?” she asked.
The lawmaker appealed to her colleagues in Congress, questioning if the nation is willing to discard children without understanding their pain. “To be truly just is to know the difference between punishment and cruelty,” she said.
Responding to claims that children today are “more exposed,” De Lima clarified, “Exposure is not consent. Exposure is not maturity. Exposure is not accountability.”
Children as Reflections of Society
She concluded by urging society to stop seeing children as threats. “They are mirrors. If we don’t like what we see, it is not the mirror we must shatter. It is the reflection of our failures,” De Lima added.
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