By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Friday expressed support for a bill pushing to lower the age of criminal liability as long as the measure has scientific basis.
Torre said they will express their stand on the issue in writing and submit it to lawmakers.
“Actually, this is a hot topic now. The PNP will give its formal stand on this in a written paper. This is one of our legislative agenda that we will give to our Congress so that we can have a voice if the law regarding juveniles is revised,” he told reporters after a command conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
“We do support the lowering of the age of discernment but it should be based on scientific evidence. There are studies that we should consider whether the current age limits are still applicable or whether children’s awareness has become too high due to their access to information.”
He stessed the need to consider scientific studies upon which Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act is based on.
“While we support the lowering of the age, there are still scientific studies that we should consider and we leave it to our legislators to make their final decision regarding that matter,” he said.
According to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Philippines, brain function reaches maturity at around 16 years old, affecting children’s reasoning and impulse control.
Proponents of the plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility believe that children as young as nine are criminally mature and are already capable of discernment.
The House of Representatives earlier moved to introduce changes to the law, including one that would lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12 and even down to 9 years old. (PNA)
