Manila, Philippines – The debate on lowering the age of

criminal liability heated up when the House justice committee

approved House Bill (HB) 8858 on January 22, 2019.
Under the proposed bill, children aged 9 to below 15 will
face criminal charges if found guilty of committing
serious crimes. These crimes include kidnapping, murder,
parricide, infanticide, and serious illegal detention.
Two days later, the committee increased the minimum age
of criminal responsibility (MACR) from 9 to 12.
The bill seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344 or the
Juvenile Justice Act of 2006 which exempts 15- to 18-
year-olds from criminal liability.

A minimum 12 years of imprisonment in

juvenile care units would be imposed as
punishment.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) and other licensed non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) will be mainly responsible for taking care of "criminally liable" children in Bahay
Pag-Asa centers, or youth care facilities. (READ: The bill seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344 or the
Juvenile Justice Act of 2006 which exempts 15- to 18-year-olds from criminal liability.

The hashtag #ChildrenNotCriminals flooded social media with sentiments decrying the consequences of
putting minors behind bars. Children’ as defined by laws

The Child and Youth Welfare Code recognizes the child as the country’s "most important asset."

Thus, it is the duty of the nation to make sure that the rights of a child are protected – from the moment
he/she is born to the time he/she becomes a fully-developed Filipino citizen.

Article 3, Section 12 of the code states:

“Every child has the right to grow up as a free individual, in an atmosphere of peace, understanding,
tolerance, and universal brotherhood, and with the determination to contribute his share in the building
of a better world.”
Also under this law, a "child" is defined as anyone who is below 21 years old.