By the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility, the government is bound not only to fail our youth but also persecute them.
The House of Representatives recently approved House Bill 8858 which lowers the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years old. The bill initially aimed for a minimum age of nine but was adjusted later on to align with two similar bills currently discussed in the Senate, with the committee on justice chairperson supporting the latest minimum age adjustment.
Proponents of the bill can argue the lack of parental supervision or the manipulation by drug and crime syndicates, but the truth is that the House only granted the Speaker and the President’s request. Increasing the minimum age from 9 to 12 is nothing but a flimsy attempt to deceive their constituents into thinking compromise is somehow still in their practice of politics. Bottomline is, it is the children that bear the consequences.
Let them be reminded that when it comes to the discussion of lives, particularly of the marginalized, there can and should be no compromise.
The UP Journalism Club condemns the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility — this oppressive legislation is a direct attack on children’s lives. Punishing children instead of the syndicates that take advantage of them only turns them into defenseless scapegoats, letting the actual perpetrators off the hook. A government that punishes the vulnerable —instead of protecting them— fails in its mandate and the society as a whole.
Children, with all their vulnerability and potential, must be provided an environment where they can fully thrive and develop. They should grow up free from stigma and fear. No prison cell or rehabilitation center will ever allow them the quality of life they truly deserve.
