When are kids considered adults?
Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez and Capiz 2nd District Rep. Fredenil Castro have filed House Bill 002, which seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to nine years old as a deterrent to the use of youth in the commission of crimes.
In their explanatory note for the bill, Alvarez and Castro stated, “Most children above this age, especially in these times when all forms and manner of knowledge are available through the internet and digital media, are already fully informed and should be taught that they are responsible for what they say and do.”
“Alvarez and Castro likewise pointed out that with the current law, adult criminals ‘knowingly and purposely’ make use of kids below 15 years old to commit crimes such as drug trafficking because they know the latter can’t be held criminally liable for their actions,” reports Xianne Arcangel on GMA News Online.
Under the measure, offenders aged nine and above but not yet 18 years old shall be subjected to the full force of the law “if they are found to have acted with discernment in committing crimes.”
Meanwhile, those below nine years old at the time of the commission of an offense shall immediately be exempt from criminal liability but will be made to undergo an intervention program.
