Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra urged Congress to pass tougher laws and reevaluate the legal process to combat the illegal drugs problem in the country, such as lowering the age of criminal responsibility to deter drug syndicates from using children in their operations.
In a speech before the National Summit on Dangerous Drugs law at the Manila Hotel, Guevarra stressed the proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility “must be carefully considered” as part of the government’s efforts to address the problem of illegal drugs.
Guevarra noted that the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which exempts children aged 15 and below from criminal responsibility, has been used by drug dealers and syndicates “who have used children as drug couriers precisely because of the protection granted to them by law.”
“As it now stands, the law enacted to protect and care for our children has incentivized their exploitation and engagement into the shady world of drug trafficking and dealing,” the Justice Secretary lamented.
After his speech, Guevarra explained he was only proposing that the age of criminal responsibility be one of the matters Congress should seriously consider as it examines laws to bolster a “holistic approach” in fighting illegal drugs.
“Somehow if you reduce the age of criminal responsibility to maybe something like 12, eh baka mahihirapan na mga criminal syndicates who use very young children in their nefarious activities,” the Justice Secretary said, in an interview.
The 17th Congress failed to pass into law a bill lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years, despite being approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives. Several measures are now pending at the committee level of the 18th Congress.