The group Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns condemned Senator Robinhood Padilla for once again reviving the bill to amend the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) of 2006. He wants to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) from 15 to 10 years old.

Organizations and individuals who advocate for the rights and welfare of children already succeeded in the campaign against the attempted amendment to the same law filed by Senator Tito Sotto in 2019. That time, Sotto wanted to lower the MACR from 15 to 12 years old.

The main campaign of Salinlahi, “children, not criminals,” asserts that children are victims of their circumstances, like poverty, trauma, and exploitation, and becoming a criminal is not their nature.

“Senator Padilla’s bill lowering the MACR risks children’s basic rights while compromising decades of progress in child safety under Philippine law,” the group explained.

Rehabilitation rather than punishment for children is based on scientific consensus and international principles. Including 10-year-old children in the criminal justice system, especially for heinous crimes, violates international standards on child development and cognitive maturity. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has previously warned that lowering the age of MACR will not stop syndicates from exploiting children but will instead extend the scope of prosecution.

Criminalizing children only worsens the cycle of neglect in a system that has long abandoned children and their families. Accessible schools, free health services, affordable nutritious food, and facilities for rehabilitation that truly care for and provide for the basic needs of children should be available.

“To address the socio-economic crisis of Filipino families, raise workers’ wages, lower the price of basic commodities, and protect and defend children,” the statement said.