Arroyo on age of liability: It was what Duterte wanted
Credit to Author: cbibe| Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2019 04:07:03 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Wednesday admitted that she supported the bill lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine years old because President Rodrigo Duterte wanted it.
“Because the President wants it. From the beginning, I said that my agenda is the President’s agenda,” Arroyo told reporters in an ambush interview. She offered no other reason when asked again.
Pressed if she’s amenable to penalizing 9-year-olds, Arroyo answered: “To me whatever the Congress will eventually come up with… Let the legislative process determine that.”
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives began the plenary debates on House Bill No. 8858 a day after the committee on justice swiftly approved it.
READ: House panel swiftly okays lower age of criminal liability
Justice panel chair and Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Salvador “Doy” Leachon earlier claimed that the “priority” measure, which they hope to pass into law before the end of the 17th Congress, was aimed at “protecting children from being used by ruthless and unscrupulous criminal syndicates to evade prosecution and punishment.”
The proposed law was backed by Duterte, as well as Senate President Vicente Sotto III. /cbb