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Duterte called to look into protection laws for children, minimum age of criminal responsibility


The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) hopes to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the full implementation of child protection laws to avoid lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) from 15 to 9.

"We want to have a conversation with him na we really want to have the law implemented well. We really don't need to lower the age," CWC Executive Director IV Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy explained Wednesday.

"If the law is implemented very well hindi naman natin kailangan (ikulong) ang kabataan pa...Hindi naman po ito naiimplement ng mabuti. What we are trying to convey to Congress, to our President, if they will really push through or give instruction... listen to our sentiments first," added Cajayon-Uy.

Cajayon-Uy made the call at the launch of the Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children (PPAeVAC) in Manila.

In her capacity as the former second district representative of Caloocan, Cajayon-Uy had authored HB 2611 to amend Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 to restore the criminal liability of children to below 18 years of age.

Children consulted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development - CWC (DSWD-CWC) for the Plan of Action to end violence against children voiced their opposition to the lowering of MACR through a manifesto.

The manifesto stated the children's ideals in preventing and stopping violence against fellow children and their commitments to protect each other from exploitation and abuse.

CWC's partner for the PPAeVAC, the United Nations Children's Fund, opposed movements to lower the MACR in 2017 as research has shown that doing so will risk exposing children to abuse, being used in criminal activities, and may lead to further re-offending.

While 55 percent of Filipinos polled mid-2017 rejected propositions to lower the MARC, President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly remained steadfast in his belief that doing so will get youths to "accept responsibility for their actions," admittance to government intervention programs, and protect them from being used in organized crimes.

Davao City 1st District Representative Karlo Nograles said Duterte is thinking about the issue from the perspective of a former city mayor.

He did not elaborate on what this entailed; instead, he said there were "many elements" to be discussed in debating the lowering of the MACR before a decision could be reached.

"I'm still not decided," Nograles said when asked about his stance on the issue.

Nograles said there have been no recent movement in Congress regarding the revision of the minimal age as stated in the Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006. — BAP, GMA News

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