Police supports move to lower age of criminally liable down to 15

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police supports the move to lower the age of those criminally liable down to 15 years of age.

Speaking to reporters at Camp Crame on Wednesday, PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said they were in favor of amending the law exempting those 15 years of age and below from criminal liability.

“The ages of individuals committing crimes has gone lower,” said Bartolome, pertaining to cases of the “batang hamog” wherein minors take advantage of traffic jams to attack unsuspecting drivers and passengers of taxi cabs and other vehicles.

But amending Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 which mandates that those 15 years of age and below be exempted from criminal liability was still the subject of much debates. The PNP chief said that this may be because the minor’s “discernment” or consciousness in committing the crimes was still being questioned.

He maintained they were in favor of lowering the age of criminal liability down to 15 years, especially if the minor was part of a syndicate and he fully understood that he has committed the crime on his own. “Kami ay naniniwalang dapat managot ang batang nasa tamang pag-iisip (We believe that a child in his right mind knows he is responsible for his action).”

It was even worse, Bartolome said, if minors were being forced by their own parents to commit crimes.

Calls to amend R.A. 9344 rose after footages of the “batang hamog” were seen on television, showing minors attacking and stealing from taxi cabs along EDSA in Guadalupe, Makati City.

Several minors have been apprehended by police but were taken into custody by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.