EDITORIAL - Let puberty be the new measure

It seems everybody is agreed on the wisdom of amending Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, in light of the wave of criminal incidents involving minors now sweeping the nation.

Everybody is one in saying there is a need to hold minors accountable for their crimes, something that will never happen for as long as RA 9344, which protects juveniles, remains as it is. The only bone of contention seems to be the age at which such accountability is leveled.

The common threshold most people are looking at is the age where juveniles are believed already able to discern right from wrong. But determining what that age really is can also prove to be very contentious.

There is, however, a measure commonly applied in the life of the average Filipino that is worth considering. For while it is no doubt based on nothing scientific but on mere conventional wisdom, its matter-of-fact acceptability in Filipino life can serve as its own tipping point.

This measure is the age of puberty, when children undergo physical changes that proclaim in no uncertain terms that their bodies are ready and capable of reproduction as an adult. For boys, this is typically between the ages of 12 and 13, while for girls it is between 10 and 11.

In typical Filipino homes, the emergence of pubic hair heralds parental expectations of a child’s greater share of responsibilities. It is not uncommon to hear parents underscore this new reality by declaring: “Mga bolbolon na mo’ng dagko.”

Now, if greater responsibilities are expected in the home of children who have reached the age of puberty, why cannot similar expectations be demanded of the same children outside the home and in the larger community?

Nobody knows their children better than parents. If parents feel the arrival of “bolbol” is time ripe enough for greater responsibilities, why would legislators not consider this to be the measure for the coming of age of juveniles for be held accountable for their actions?