Let’s face it, there are kids who commit the most horrific crimes.
In line with his crusade against crime, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will ask Congress to lower the age of criminal responsibility.
This was what Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte’s choice as the next House speaker, said on Tue, Jun 7. Alvarez pointed out that there have been reports on how criminal gangs use kids to peddle illegal drugs.
“While Alvarez did not say what the minimum age of responsibility in the proposed legislation will be, outgoing House Speaker Sonny Belmonte said he is in favor of lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to 12 years old,” reports Alexis Romero in The Philippine Star.
Belmonte recalled that it was Sen. Francis Pangilinan raised the minimum age to 15 when the amendments to the Juvenile Justice System and Welfare Act were being tackled in 2013.
“Nobody seemed to notice [back then]. And later on, all of us were asking why did it become 15? Why not 12?” Belmonte said.
The report noted: “Under the current law, someone who is 15 years old or below at the time of the commission of the crime shall be exempt from criminal liability. The offender will just be required to undergo an intervention program designed by the government.”
