In Masbate vs.
Relucio,1 the Supreme Court stated the fundamental
policy of the State to promote and protect the welfare of children, viz:
It may not be amiss to point out that the fundamental policy of the
State, as embodied in the Constitution in promoting and protecting the
welfare of children, shall not be disregarded by the courts by mere
technicality in resolving disputes which involve the family and the youth.
The State is mandated to provide protection to those of tender
years. Through its laws, it safeguards them from everyone, even their
own parents, to the end that their eventual development as responsible
citizens and members of society shall not be impeded, distracted or
impaired by family acrimony.
The right of custody accorded to parents springs from the exercise
of parental authority. Parental authority or patria potestas in Roman Law
is the juridical institution whereby parents rightfully assume control and
protection of their unemancipated children to the extent required by the
latter's needs. It is a mass of rights and obligations which the law grants
to parents for the purpose of the children's physical preservation and
development, as well as the cultivation of their intellect and the
education of their heart and senses. As regards parental authority,
'there is no power, but a task; no complex of rights, but a sum of
duties; no sovereignty but a sacred trust for the welfare of the minor.
Applying the foregoing, the State shall not deny Relissa Lucena the
right to protect her child from any organization that recruited and
indoctrinated her child that is detrimental to her child’s development
especially in attaining good education. AJ Lucena was prevented in getting
highest level of education due to her indoctrination to join armed group or
organization.
Any person committing exploitation of a child or be responsible for
other condition’s prejudicial to the child’s development shall be held liable
under Section 10(a) of R.A. 7610, to wit:
SEC. 10. Other Acts of Neglect, Abuse, Cruelty or Exploitation and Other
Conditions Prejudicial to the Childs Development.
(a) Any person who shall commit any other acts of abuse, cruelty or
exploitation or be responsible for other conditions prejudicial to
the child's development including those covered by Article 59 of
Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, but not covered by the Revised
Penal Code, as amended, shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its
minimum period.
1
G.R. No. 235498, July 30, 2018
As gleaned from the foregoing, the provision punishes not only those
enumerated under Article 59 of Presidential Decree No. 603, but also four
distinct acts, i.e., (a) child abuse, (b) child cruelty, (c) child exploitation
and (d) being responsible for conditions prejudicial to the child's
development. The Rules and Regulations of the questioned statute
distinctly and separately defined child abuse, cruelty and exploitation just
to show that these three acts are different from one another and from the
act prejudicial to the child's development. Contrary to petitioner's
assertion, an accused can be prosecuted and be convicted under Section
10(a), Article VI of Republic Act No. 7610 if he commits any of the four
acts therein. The prosecution need not prove that the acts of child abuse,
child cruelty and child exploitation have resulted in the prejudice of the
child because an act prejudicial to the development of the child is
different from the former acts.2
Verily, to stress on the thrust of R.A. 7610, the Supreme Court
pronounced that:
Time and again, the Court has stressed that R.A. No. 7610 is a
measure geared towards the implementation of a national
comprehensive program for the survival of the most vulnerable
members of the population, the Filipino children, in keeping with the
Constitutional mandate under Article XV, Section 3, paragraph 2, that
"[t]he State shall defend the right of the children to assistance, including
proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of
neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to
their development." This piece of legislation supplies the inadequacies of
existing laws treating crimes committed against children, namely, the
RPC and Presidential Decree No. 603 or The Child and Youth Welfare
Code. As a statute that provides for a mechanism for strong deterrence
against the commission of child abuse and exploitation, the law has
stiffer penalties for their commission, and a means by which child
traffickers could easily be prosecuted and penalized. Also, the
definition of child abuse is expanded to encompass not only
those specific acts of child abuse under existing laws but
includes also "other acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty or
exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to the child's
development."3
Here, the act of recruiting Alicia Jasper Lucena to join ANAKBAYAN
resulted to conditions prejudicial to her development as a child since it
resulted to AJ joining the organization, leaving her home and not continuing
her education.
As duly substantiated by the testimony of Relissa Lucena stating that
AJ Lucena became fully-fledged member of ANAKBAYAN and did not
continue her education:
2
Dela Cerna vs. People, G.R. No. 210810, December 07, 2016.
3
Patulot vs. People, G.R. No. 235071, January 07, 2019.
Q: Kailan nagpasya ang iyong anak na mag full time member ng ANAKBAYAN at tuluyang
umalis sa inyong tirahan?
A: February 03, 2019 ay umalis siya ng bahay ng hindi nagpapaalam pero
nagtext siya na hindi niya kayang makita ang kanyang ama na kasalukuyang parating noong
araw na iyon galing abroad.
Q: Ano ang iyong naging aksyon matapos na lumayas ang iyong anak?
A: Pinalipas ko ang 24 oras tapos ay hinanap ko siya sa eskwelahan ngunit siya ay wala doon.
Tapos ay nagpablotter ako sa Pasay Police Station. Pagdating ng February 06 bandang 11:00 PM
siya bumalik ng bahay kung saan hinayaan muna naming siyang matulog at magpahinga at
nagpasya na kausapin na larang kinabukasan. Noong February 07 ay door na riya sinabi sa akin
na ayaw na niyang mag aral dahil gusto na niyang maging ull time na aktibista.
Q: Ano ang mga sumunod na mga pangyayari?
A: Noong March 10,2019 muli siyang lumayas at nag-iwan ng sulat na may mga masasakit na
nilalaman dahil sa aking pagtutol sa kanyang mga kagustuhan. Hanggan sa nakita ko sa isang
page sa Page sa Facebook na may pamagat na Enlighten Pinoy ang kanyang mga larawan na
kasama sa ibat-ibang mga kilos protesta. Mga bandang ikatlong linggo ng Marso ako ay muling
nagpablotter sa Manila Police District. Pagkatapos kong magpablotter ay nakumbinse ko ang
aking anak sa pamamaçitan ng messenger na magkita na lamang kami sa UN McDonalds daril
ayaw niyang umuwi ng bahay. Doon ko nakilala si Charie Del Rosario, Bianca Gacos at
Jayroven Balais Villafuente na siyang kasama ng aking anak na nakipagkita sa akin. Sa aming
mga usapan, maging ako ay kinukumbinsi nila na sumali sa isa pa nilang grupo na GABRIELA.
Pagkatapos naming
magusap ay umuwi ako na hindi siya kasama.
Q: Nagkaroon pa po ba kayo ng pag-uusap pagkatapos ninyong magkita sa McDonalds?
A:Opo. Tuloy-tuloy ang aming pag-uusap sa messenger kung saan aking nalaman na siya ay
nagrerecruit na rin ng ibang mga miyembro para sa ANAKBAYAN at nargangampanya para sa
KABATAAN Party List at kay Ner Colmenares. May mga pagkakataon din na umuuwi siya
saglit ng bahay upang mag-lata ng kanyang maruruming damit at sa tuwing pinipigilan ko siyang
umalis ng bahay o doon na lamang matulog tumatanggin siya at sinasabihan pa ako ng diktador.
Q: Ano ang mga sumunod na pangyayari?
A: Noong nalaman ko na siya ay nagrerecruit sa mga depressed areas ako ay natakot at kinausap
siya na umuwi at sinabihan ko rin ang kanyang mga ecruiter na pauwiin siya dahil mapipilitan
akong magdemanda. Hapon ng lay 25 ay umuwi siya ng bahay na walang dalang gamit at noong
araw na yon ay hindi ko na siya pinayagan umalis pang muli. Subalit noong July 10 ay muli
siyang umalis at nag iwan ng sulat kung saan tinawag niya akong sang oppressor, ipokrito,
manipulative at diktador na lubhang nakakagulat marinig sa isang menor de edad.
Q: Simula ng narecruit ng ANAKBAYAN ang iyong anak ay meron ka bang balita kung patuloy
sa pag-aaral ito?
A: Siya po tuluyan ng huminto sa pag-aaral na kabaligtaran ng pagkakilala ko sa kanya bago siya
sumali sa ANAKBAYAN.
