Jail where?
DSWD official worries about absence of facility for minors if law is amended
Another official says current version of RA 9344 has enough provisions to handle needs of children in conflict with the law
WHERE do you detain minors who are involved in crimes? This was one of questions raised by officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 in reaction to the National Government’s plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine years old.
Maria Evelyn Macapobre, DSWD 7 di- rector, said the proposed amendment to Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice Law of 2006, should focus on helping children in conflict with the law (CICL), not putting them in jails.
Macapobre said the DSWD and other concerned agencies have long opposed the amendment to RA 9344 since lowering the age of criminal responsibility will not solve crime.
Macapobre told reporters that one concern that needs to be addressed is the lack of facilities such as detention centers for CICL that the National Gov- ernment must provide once the law’s amendments are approved.
In a separate interview, Hazel Dinah Miel of DSWD 7’s Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee, told reporters that the current version of RA 9344 is sufficient to handle the needs of CICLs.
Rather than amend the law by lowering the age of criminal liability, the national government must implement RA 9344 to its fullest capability, Miel added.
Miel said the implementation of the law includes activating Local Councils for the Protection of Children within the municipal, city and barangay levels and prioritize the allocation of funds for their sustainability.
She also urged local government units to establish “Bahay Pag-Asa” or Houses of Hope where children in conflict with the law can be reformed. The establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa is part of RA 9344’s main features.
Miel lamented that while majority of LGUs have programs aimed to address the plight of children, only a few have established Bahay Pag-Asa in their respective localities.