Senator Francisco "Kiko" Pangilinan was the one who worked for the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 to be approved and now he is one among other people who wants it to be amended. The said law states that persons below 15 years old are exempted from criminal liability.
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno recently confirmed that the Pangilinan Law as it is today is nearing its end. This is because a lot of people have seen the loopholes in the law which could be exploited by criminal elements. The Pangilinan Law as it is being billed today may have been made with good intentions in mind but recent incidents call for an amendment of the law.
Anti-crime advocates and law enforcement agencies have lobbied for so long to have the law amended. A recent incident in Laguna where a student killed a high school kid after beating the latter up has shown to the public what the aforementioned groups are pointing out in the past.
Law enforcement agents sometimes arrest minors for disobeying the law but they have no choice but to let them go because they are being protected by the Pangilinan Law. Criminal syndicates have exploited the loopholes in the law by having people below 15 years old involved in their criminal activities. They are confident that the kids will be let go if arrested.
Being the Secretary of the DILG, Ronnie Puno knows the challenges of adhering to the said law and bringing in minor criminals. Thus, it is not surprising that Secretary Puno is supporting the amendment of the said law.
In fairness, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 also include a diversion and intervention program through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This is what Senator Pangilinan and the UNICEF are counting on to keep minors from being repeat offenders. Also, the intervention program is designed to keep them from committing any crime in the first place.
With the DILG Secretary now on the case along with law enforcement agencies and anti-crime advocates it is really only a matter of time before criminal syndicates would be stopped taking advantage of our nation's youth.
Anti-crime advocates and law enforcement agencies have lobbied for so long to have the law amended. A recent incident in Laguna where a student killed a high school kid after beating the latter up has shown to the public what the aforementioned groups are pointing out in the past.
Law enforcement agents sometimes arrest minors for disobeying the law but they have no choice but to let them go because they are being protected by the Pangilinan Law. Criminal syndicates have exploited the loopholes in the law by having people below 15 years old involved in their criminal activities. They are confident that the kids will be let go if arrested.
Being the Secretary of the DILG, Ronnie Puno knows the challenges of adhering to the said law and bringing in minor criminals. Thus, it is not surprising that Secretary Puno is supporting the amendment of the said law.
In fairness, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 also include a diversion and intervention program through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This is what Senator Pangilinan and the UNICEF are counting on to keep minors from being repeat offenders. Also, the intervention program is designed to keep them from committing any crime in the first place.
With the DILG Secretary now on the case along with law enforcement agencies and anti-crime advocates it is really only a matter of time before criminal syndicates would be stopped taking advantage of our nation's youth.
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