Catriona Gray on lowering the age of criminal liability: Focus on why kids commit crimes

For Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, the government should focus on addressing the reasons why children get involve in crimes instead of lowering the minimum age of criminal liability.

In an interview with GMA News' Iya Villania-Arellano on Wednesday, the beauty queen, said children's minds are not yet fully-developed to determine the consequences of their actions.

"I would rather... that the efforts be refocused to why those children may be committing those crimes... cause working with kids, you know, when they're that young, 11, 12 or nine-years-old, they're not developed cognitively to make decisions knowing full way the consequences," Catriona said.

"I would rather address the focus to what can we do to get the children out of circumstances that they may be pressured to do something," she added.

The House of Representatives had approved on third and final reading the House Bill 8858, which would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15-years-old to 12.

Under the proposed law, a child aged 12 to 18-years-old who commits a serious crime would be sent to the Intensive Juvenile Intervention and Support Center inside the nearest youth care facility (Bahay Pag-asa).

These crimes include parricide, murder, infanticide, kidnapping, serious illegal detention where a victim is killed or raped, or violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which is punishable by more than 12 years in prison.

Even before bagging the Miss Universe title, Catriona has long advocated for children's rights, helping poor children as well as charities.

"Working with children really touched my heart because they are so pure and you know they come into this life and this is the simple thing that make them happy and I think that this event is the perfect example of that where we can give something simple as a gift," Catriona had said.

Catriona will be having a series of homecoming activities in the following days. This afternoon, she will have her grand homecoming metro-wide parade, while on Saturday, she will have another one at the Araneta Center. — LA, GMA News