Senate panel seeks increased penalties for parents of children in conflict with law

MANILA, Philippines — A Senate panel recommended harsher punishment for parents of juveniles who commit crimes, echoing the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that parents should be also be held accountable for their children’s offenses.

The suggestion of the Senate committee on justice and human rights led by Sen. Richard Gordon was included in the joint committee report, which recommended the lowering of minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to 12.

The report recommended that parents of children who commit serious crimes would be slapped with imprisonment of six months up to six years from the jail term of only two to six months and a fine not exceeding P500.

Any person, including parents of children, who use children in crimes would face 12 to 20 years in prison from crimes punishable by imprisonment of six years or less. If the children in conflict with the law commit crimes where the punishment is more than six years prison, their exploiter would be jailed from 20 to 40 years.

House Bill 8858, the lower chamber’s version, proposed that parents of children who commit serious crimes and of children who are repeat offenders would undergo mandatory intervention programs, which include parenting seminars and counselling.

The parents would be also primarily liable for civil damages arising out of the actions of children in conflict with the law unless they prove that they were exercising reasonable supervision over the child when the offense was committed.

The Senate version of the measure lowering the age of criminal responsibility is expected to be tackled at the plenary next week. 

A Social Weather Stations poll indicated that a majority of Filipinos want the minimum age of criminal responsibility to stay at 15 years old. — Gaea Katreena Cabico