SENATE Bill 2026 seeks to lower the minimum age of criminal liability from the current 15 to 13 years old. According to proponent Senate President Vicente Sotto III, this supports the Duterte administration’s objective of curbing criminality. President Duterte had long been seeking an amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act of 2006 to lower the minimum age.
This is a contentious matter. More discussions must be done. Many questions must be answered. Let us start with this: Do our lawmakers understand the social context of the problem on children in conflict with the law (CICL)?
The situation of CICL reflects the kind of society we have today. Every time we will look into these children and their families’ impoverished lives, we can see the government’s negligence to provide for their economic needs and welfare. Poverty is luring and further victimizing children and youth into anti-social and criminal activities.
Child rights and welfare activists are raising legitimate concerns. Some even go further as arguing that lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility and placing children in jails is further victimizing these poor youngsters.
Will lowering the minimum age of criminal liability bring about social order when Filipino children, most especially the poor and the marginalized, continue to suffer neglect?
The massive education among children and the whole community for prevention of children being involved in crimes is equally important. In cases of crimes already committed by children, there is an urgent need to provide quality rehabilitation programs to encourage them to change and be productive citizens.
The government should seriously address socioeconomic issues like joblessness and low wages, among others. Have our lawmakers factored these in our peace and order problem, and specifically in the occurrence of CICL?
