Bam Aquino: Death penalty, lowering of age of criminal liability, not a good mix

Senator Bam Aquino on Thursday said the proposed House measures seeking to revive the death penalty and lower the age of criminal liability could be a dangerous combination for the country.

“Kapag hinayaan nating makalusot ang dalawang panukalang ito, pati mga batang siyam na taong gulang ay kandidato na rin sa bitay. Ito ba ang Pilipinas na ating ninanais?” Aquino said in a press statement.

Incoming House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, has filed House Bill 01 proposing the revival of death penalty and House Bill 02 seeking to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to nine.

“If you put the two bills that he filed together, iyong pagbalik ng death penalty tsaka pagbaba ng age to nine years old, mayroon tayong sitwasyon na baka nine years old, binibigyan mo ng life imprisonment o binibigyan mo ng death penalty,” said Aquino.

He said giving full criminal liability to a nine-year old would be harsh and may not be appropriate for the development of a young person.

“I don’t know kung na-realize iyan ng mga proponents ng batas na ito but there could be a case, ginawang courier ng isang drug lord o drug pusher ang isang bata tapos nahuli,” he said.

“Ang batang iyan can actually get life imprisonment or death penalty. Handa ba ang Pilipinas na pumatay ng nine years old na nasangkot sa ganoong klaseng pangyayari? I don’t think that’s what we want to do, na pumatay tayo ng mga bata,” he added.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, author of the original Juvenile Justice Act, said the gravity of the crime and not just the age of a child offender should be considered in amending the law.  

“Hindi naman ata tama na lahat ng batang nagkamali ay ating ikukulong at kakasuhan, maliit o malaki man ang kasalanan. Dapat tingnan natin ang bigat ng kasalanan. Hindi dapat pareho ang trato sa batang nagnakaw para may makain sa isang batang nakagawa ng matinding krimen,” Pangilinan said in a press statement. — VVP, GMA News