Philippine congress passes the juvenile justice bill
Follow the intensive lobbying by Non-Government organizations such as Preda Foundation, Jubilee campaign, and the Juvenile Justice Network, and the wide exposure of the abuse in the media the Philippine Congress passed unanimously this Tuesday the Bill that will keep kids out of jail and send them to youth homes.
The ITV/CNN news reports that began last august 2005 and were revisited again this January 2006 contributed to the awareness among lawmakers as to the urgency of the situation.
The dehumanizing conditions of minors detained with adult in Philippine jails with paedophiles and rapists in the ITV/CNN news reports shocked the world and shamed the politicians that have been absorbed in political wangling to unseat the president with little time for legislative duties.
The chairman of the House justice committee, Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong, said the new law when singed would exempt offenders 15 years old and below from any criminal liability. He told the media that under the new law minors below 13 years old are exempted from criminal accountability.
"Under this bill, we will raise the age of child offenders from 9 to 15 years old completely without criminal responsibility," Datumanong said.
"But if the offender is between 15 years old and 18 years old, he will have no criminal liability but there will be civil liability," he said. Minor accused of crimes will have t be sent to training centers and value formation centers.
The Bill will have to be returned to the Senate which passed its version last December ,and a committee of members of both houses will reach a final verdict for the president to sign.
Last week all the jail wardens in Metro Manila were ordered to transfer their minors to a government run drug rehabilitation center in camp Diwa, Bicutan, South of metro manila. Behind high walls topped with razor wire, 146 minors are detained in better more spacious conditions with younger kids separated from the older. Here they are detained awaiting there long drawn out court proceedings that can take months or years. Many are eventually dismissed but the child has already been traumatized with the experience of detention and deprivation of sufficient food and education.
The cells hold 26 minors each with bunk beds and two toilets. However water for washing and toilets is limited. Last Saturday, 18 February, three of them were shot and wounded by guards when they tried to escape. [End]
