The senator who wrote the law setting the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15 insisted Monday that the measure does not let young offenders escape accountability, countering critics who say it does.
Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, author of Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, said minors accused of crimes are still bound by a legal process and a set of interventions, and that turning them loose simply because of their age is itself against the law.
“Iligal ang pakawalan ang menor de edad na nasangkot sa krimen at may parusa sa mga gagawa nito,” he said in a statement.
Pangilinan framed the statute as a chain of duties rather than a loophole, naming the obligations he said fall on offenders, parents and the state alike. “May pananagutan. May proseso. May mga intervention upang matiyak na hindi na ito mauulit. May pananagutan din ang mga magulang. May tungkulin naman ang pamahalaan—sa pamamagitan ng DSWD at iba pang ahensya—na magbigay ng suporta sa mga biktima, kanilang mga pamilya,” he said, referring to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
He pressed for the law to be enforced as written, casting the debate as one of implementation rather than statutory weakness. “Ang tunay na hamon ay hindi ang pagpapakalat ng takot at disinformation, kundi ang ganap na pagpapatupad ng batas at pagtiyak na may hustisya, accountability, at proteksyon para sa lahat ng bata,” he said.
The senator issued his defense after a shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte, left three students dead and seven others wounded. Two Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 15, were taken into custody over the attack, which police said happened around 9 a.m.
His remarks responded to Senator Robin Padilla, who seized on the killings to revive Senate Bill No. 372. The Manila Bulletin reported that the bill, filed in July 2025, would lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 10 and remove the liability exemption for offenders aged 10 to 17 in heinous-crime cases such as murder, rape and arson. Padilla raised the prospect of a special session to advance the stalled measure during the congressional recess.
GMA News Online reported that the two suspects face different tracks under the current law: the 14-year-old falls within the exemption and will be placed under social welfare intervention, while the 15-year-old will be assessed by the City Social Welfare and Development Office, with charges possible if investigators find he acted with discernment.
