BACOLOD City – Juvenile delinquents are just “victims of circumstances,” according to the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) in this city.
They are either abused, neglected or abandoned, said DSSD head Pacita Tero.
Tero fielded this statement yesterday after the House of Representatives’ Justice committee approved a bill that seeks to lower the age of criminal liability to nine years old from the current 15.
The House panel led by Oriental Mindoro 1st District representative Salvador “Doy” Leachon passed the bill despite contentions from human rights groups.
According to Leachon, the bill was a priority measure. He added that he hopes it to be passed into a law before the end of the 17th Congress.
The lawmaker also said it will protect children from being used by criminal syndicates to evade prosecution and punishment.
Tero said lawmakers should study the case of minor offenders, or children in conflict with law.
She added that the history of these minors should be traced.
In her experience at the DSSD, for example, Tero found that these children lack proper guidance from parents – some are often not at home to work and some are engaged in illegal activities.
Tero said if lawmakers want to avert minors doing illegal activities, they should pass laws that would create interventions to make children better individuals.
Lawmakers should also focus on how to penalize adults behind syndicates that use children as pawns.
In Bacolod, the DSSD has 41 minors under its custody. Half of them were caught for drug offenses. Others were apprehended for theft and rape./PN
