By Dhel Nazario
Senator Robinhood Padilla has renewed his appeal for Congress to tackle his proposed measure lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility, following a fatal school shooting in Mindanao that left three students dead and twenty others wounded.
In a Facebook post, Padilla questioned whether a special session could be convened to address what he described as urgent issues involving minors in conflict with the law, citing recent violent incidents including robbery, rape, and the school shooting.
Padilla previously filed a bill in July 2025 seeking to amend Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, by reducing the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 10 years old.
His proposal also removes the exemption from liability for offenders aged 10 to 17 who commit heinous crimes.
“Dapat gawin na natin yan, ngayon na,” Padilla said, stressing that many countries have already adopted a lower age of criminal liability and that the Philippines should follow suit.
He expressed hope that his juvenile justice proposal would be given the same urgency as other recently passed measures, reiterating that the existing law’s age threshold is no longer adequate in addressing the rising number of violent crimes involving minors.
