Loren wants 12 youths out of NBP Death Row

Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda pressed yesterday for the detention of 12 young death convicts in a special cell pending the outcome of the Supreme Court’s review of their cases.

She said that these young offenders should not have been sent to Death Row if they committed heinous crimes when they were less than 18 years of age.

She noted that the Supreme Court recently issued an administrative circular providing guidelines to ensure the segregation of minors from adult prisoners.

The 12 minors on death row at the New Bilibid Prisons are: Arnold Acosta, 18, convicted of drug trafficking; Alfredo Baroy, 16, three counts of rape; Ronald Bragas, 18, rape with murder; Allan Bustamante, 16, murder and frustrated murder; Lordio Librando, 17, robbery with homicide and accessory to rape.

Anthony Manguera, 15, rape with homicide; Rogelio Moreno, 17, rape with robbery; Ramon Nicodemus, 18, robbery with homicide; Danilo Pabillar, 18, robbry with homicide; Satorane Pangagayong, 16, murder and robbery; Roger Pasibigan, 16, robbery with homicide; and Rosendo Tara, 18, murder.

Those aged 18 in the list committed their crimes allegedly before their 18th birthday. They either failed to produce birth certificates during trial or the trial judges concerned did not compel prosecutors to verify their ages.

In a related development, the Senate committee on justice and human rights headed by Sen. Francis Pangilinan is now studying proposals to institute a juvenile justice system.

Pangilinan said the juvenile justice system was conceived to avoid court processes for offenders aged 12 to 18 years. He added that they are also proposing to increase from nine to 12 years the age of criminal culpability.

"Under the juvenile justice system, the cases of these young offenders would be diverted to the barangay system instead of the courts," he said.

He explained that this would save the young offenders the trauma of appearing in court as an accused, and of being handcuffed. – Efren Danao