Bicam okays bill on repeat juvenile offenders

Sen. Francis Escudero. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The congressional  bicameral conference  committee  has  approved in  principle a  measure that will allow “involuntary commitment”  at a government facility of juvenile offenders who have repeatedly   committed  serious crimes.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero,  head of the Senate panel, announced that  the members of the  bicameral  committee   agreed  on the  proposed amendments to  the  Juvenile Justice Law  and are now ready to submit it for ratification by the Senate and the House of Representatives  when they  resume  sessions on June  5, 2013.

“Buo ang pag-asa ko na mara-ratify iyon at kumpiyansa  ako na mara-ratify sa special session na gaganapin sa June 5 ( I have  full confidence that  it  will be ratified  during the special session on  June  5),” Escudero told reporters after a hearing of the committee  held  at his  office on  Tuesday.

Under the  proposed  amendments, Escudero said children (below 15 but above 12 years old) in conflict with the  law (CIC)  will be  subjected  to “intensified intervention program” and “involuntary commitment.”

Repeated offenders, he said, will be subjected to “involuntary commitment” at a government  facility, which will be set up by local government  units in different parts of the country.

He said the  Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)  or the  parents themselves may file  a  petition in court  to put the  repeated offenders under the government facility  dubbed as “Bahay Pag-asa.”

The DWSD, and not the  Department of Justice, will be  the lead agency  that would implement the proposed measure, the senator  pointed out.

“Nilagay din naming sa batas na iyong mga gumagamit ng mga bata sa pagsulong ng ibat ibang krimen o paggawa ng ibat ibang krimen, paparusahan sila in the maximum level noong krimen na pinagawa nila sa mga batang ginamit din nila (We also included in the bill that those who use children to commit various crimes would get maximum level punishment),”  said Escudero.

The parents of  the CIC, he said, are likewise  ‘civilly” liable under the  existing  law.

Escudero said one contentious  issue  on the  bill was the  original version of the House  of Representatives , lowering  the age of criminal responsibility to below 12 years old.

“Gusto nila exempt na lang  ang 12 years old. Ang problema, 15 na tayo nagsimula. International standards 15 din. Hindi siguro tama na  bumaba  tayo sa 12 matapos nating ipataw ng 15 o i-set ng 15 iyong age of absolute criminal responsibility (They want 12 years old children to be exempted. The problem is we started at 15, which is also the international standard. Maybe it’s not right that we lower it to 12 after setting 15 as age of absolute criminal responsibility),” he said.

In  the end,  Escudero said  the success  of  the  improved  law would still depend on its  implementation as  he noted local governments’ alleged failure  to build more  rehabilitation facilities for child  offenders.