Ouano pushes for review of juvenile justice law

CEBU, Philippines - To further strengthen the implementation of the curfew on minors, Cebu Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano (sixth district) is pushing for a review for possible amendment on the Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

Ouano specifically wanted the Section 6 of the law, which exempts a child aged 15 years old or below who is conflict with law from criminal responsibility, be thoroughly reexamined.

The former Mandaue City mayor said that there is a need to review R.A. 9344 because of the fact that minors of this age are commonly used by older criminals as accessories of a crime.

In his proposed resolution, Ouano said that “in outlining the principles of juvenile justice, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act 2006 calls for restorative justice to be incorporated into all laws, policies and programs applicable for children in conflict with the law.”

The law, which was passed unanimously by the Congress, is a response to criticism of the conditions under which young offenders were being held in prisons where an estimated 4,000 children were imprisoned at the end of 2005 and most of them are minors according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund.

The Cebu Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on Criminality also called for an amendment on R.A. 9344 last Friday and expressed support to the pending PB ordinance urging the local government units in the province to impose curfew on minors.

Based on the figures from the Philippine National Police, crimes involving minors rose by 18 percent in 2008 with most offenders committing theft. 

A total of 2,158 cases involving under age offenders were reported to the PNP Women and Children Protection Center, half of them are theft cases in 2008.

Number of children involved in illegal drugs also rose by some 28 percent from 113 in 2007 to 145 last year and there were also 208 reports of rape involving youth offenders.  (THE FREEMAN)