Preying on children
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:34:31 +0000
On Rachel A.G. Reyes’ “Jailing children is cruel, callous and wrong” (Manila Times, January 22 ); Ma. Isabel Ongpin’s “Children in conflict with the law are not yet criminals”(January 26); and Fr. Shay Cullen’s “Children at detention centers are treated like criminals” (January 27):
INDEED, those ignorant lawmakers ignore the facts that are present and available everywhere — made possible by chunks of academic research through the years. Just look at what Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice committee, said on Friday: “Because that’s what I prefer.” Trusting only his own faulty opinions, despite the opinions given to him by experts. He followed this with, “That’s what I feel.
I’m the chairman (of the Senate justice committee). That’s what I see.” He remarked that it satisfied his conscience and those who had the same opinion as him. Clearly, any lawmaker of our land with this kind of reasoning that ignores credible research is unworthy of public office.
He obviously shut the door to criticism when he only accepted the concerns of the people with whom he shared the same opinion. It is not even right to call such cruelty a product of one’s ‘conscience.’ Ignoring research and choosing one’s own opinion instead is an irresponsible thing to do. It produces barbaric capabilities from the poor judgment in them that disregards facts. Research data contributes to the progress of humanity. As the social scientist, Jayeel Cornelio, said, “Policies need to be based on systematic analysis and understanding of social problems.”
The pronouncements of lawmakers who support the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) is evidence of the recessing humanity in them. We all know how the current administration handles crime — it handles crime in a bloody way. Why involve the children in the ongoing bloodshed in our country?
Senator Pangilinan, who authored Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice Law, said that the youth offenders and their parents are not excused from the criminal liabilities for their offenses. Mandatory confinement is the remedy in the provisions of the aforementioned law.
The failure of the implementation wreaks havoc among society today and this “duct tape”-like solution will only make it worse. Police statistics, according to Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Rafael-Banaag, show that only 2.3 percent of the 473, 068 crime nationwide were allotted for minors; 2.6 percent in the year 2017 and 2.4 in 2016. Just look at current facts of today. The funding for the overcrowded youth detention houses (Bahay Pag-asa) did not even reach the target of 114 houses. Even if children are drastically prone to being drug couriers because of their immunity from the law, this distinctly shows that they are really the victims. Victims of inhumane criminals, victims of the negligent implementation of the law. This proposed bill will make more children — the hope of our future — certainly vulnerable to abuse. We have, indeed, terrible lawmakers. The same Filipinos who we share the same blood with prey even on the children. It seems like they have lost their senses in their pursuit of power. Deaf they are to the cries of the people and blind to the accessible research data presented to them. This disease in our society that appears to be spreading, targets the human perceptions. The only solution there is to dissent and be critical at all times.
Luis Antonio A. Bonifacio
Grade 12 humanities and social sciences student
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