Sara Duterte defends stand on age of criminal liability

There is no science to the conclusion that misdeeds committed by 12-year-olds are "mistakes," Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said Friday, answering criticism from psychiatrists and child right advocates.

"Huwag na mag-conclude na lahat ay mistake lamang dahil siya ay 12 years old, walang science sa conclusion na ito," Duterte said.

The eldest daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte recently received flak from psychiatrists and child rights advocates for her Instagram statement that children are capable of committing crimes.

"Alam naman natin na maraming bata ang nagkakamali," Dr. Cornelio Banaag, the former president of the Philippine Society for Child and Adult Psychiatry, said at a press conference on Thursday.

Mayor Duterte, a lawyer, said whether a child 12 years old and above committed a mistake or a crime is something best determined by the court.

"In the matter of a 12 year old (and above) committing a  mistake or a crime are things best left to be determined by a judge based on the facts of the case," she said.

Mayor Duterte made the Instagram post to support the measure proposing to lower the age of criminal liability to 12 and in an apparent reply to Senator Risa Hontiveros statement that such move is "immoral, unscientific and ineffective."

The House of Representatives on Monday approved House Bill 8858 that would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years old.

A committee report in the Senate is also proposing the same age adjustment in the country's Juvenile Justice Law. —KBK, GMA News