AN OPPOSITION lawmaker on Saturday welcomed the move of the House of Representatives’ sub-committee on correction reforms to keep the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15 years old, instead of bringing it down to as low as nine years old.
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat also said the sub-committee made the right decision to strengthen the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 so that children in conflict with the law will be given all the chances they need to reform themselves.
“The House sub-committee approved version is a departure from the original proposal pushed by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to nine years old, on the pretext that such a drastic move was crucial to the success of the government’s so-called war on drugs,” Baguilat said.
Baguilat said the proposal being pushed by Malacañang “will do more harm than good on children.”
Baguilat said what children in conflict with the law needed was rehabilitation, rather than incarceration that may cause them to become hardened criminals.
“Children who have a long life ahead of them deserve a chance to see the error of their ways and be given an opportunity to become a productive member of society,” he said earlier.
Baguilat insisted that instead of treating the children as if they are criminals, rehabilitation has been proven to be a more effective and sound solution to the problem of children being involved in criminal activities.