Sotto wants to lower criminal responsibility to 13

“Exempting children 15 years old and below from criminal liability is too high even based on international standards,” says Senate President Vicente Sotto III. SPOT.PH

MANILA – Senate President Vicente Sotto III has proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years old.

This is due to the increasing number of crimes committed by youngsters, according to Sotto.

In his Senate Bill 2026, Sotto said he will amend provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9344 – or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 – sometimes referred to as the “Pangilinan Law.”

If passed, the bill will lower the criminal age of liability to 13. Children aged 9 to 12 who committed crimes would be exempted from criminal liability, and will be put under appropriate intervention programs.

“Due to the continuing challenge in the implementation of RA 9344, as amended, the aforesaid law must be further amended to lower the minimum age of criminal liability in order to adapt to the changing times,” Sotto said.

“Not only was the law abused by criminals but the innocence of these youngsters were deliberately taken from them,” he added. “Exempting children 15 years old and below from criminal liability is too high even based on international standards.”

Sotto also said his bill – if passed – will give clarity to the true intention of the law and the amendment will institutionalize the criminal liability of teenagers who commit serious criminal offense.

Sotto’s proposal got a backing from no less than President Rodrigo Duterte, who slammed Sen. Francis Pangilinan for crafting a law which he said made discerning teens lose their “sense of accountability.”

“Si Pangilinan, kaibigan ko ito so I don’t want to demean him, but you know, in this life, we have to bind ourselves to what we do. Mahirap ‘yang ano eh. Kung ginawa mo, ginawa mo,” Duterte said in a speech on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) slammed Sotto’s bill.

“This is a giant leap backward. Based on its explanatory note, the bill argues that lowering the age of criminal responsibility will curb criminality and stop adults from using children. This is a flawed argument. Already disadvantaged children, exploited by adults should not be further penalized,” the UNICEF said in a statement.

SOURCE: Panay News

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