Ruiz, Milly
Argumentative Essay Prompt:
According to a news article published by Rappler, Senate committees recommend 12 years
old as minimum age of criminal liability (Elemia, 2019).
Change is constant, the world is growing. Perspectives between moral and immoral are altering.
The 21st century is the fullness of times wherein people are bombarded by numerous information;
be it bad or good. People are becoming hypocrites, some unrighteous doings became righteous,
because that is how the world think it is. Children are becoming products of parents who thinks
that some unethical issues are ethical. Children in the 21 st century are not innocents anymore
because of how the society and their parents perceives between what is honorable and not.
The court justice of the Philippines just recently passed a bill, regarding to lowering the criminal
liability to 12 years old. Wherein 12 years old and above who committed serious crimes will be able
to go to jail. It was argued because ages 12 to 17 years old are children and that they’re too young
and innocent to be jailed, but the ‘Bill' also expressed that children will not be treated the same way
how justice treated adults. Instead, they will be subjected to intervention programs unless the child
has acted with discernment, the law is also limited to those children who committed serious crimes
such as: Murder, Homicide, Parricide, Infanticide, Violation of dangerous drug act, Rape, Carnaping
and kidnapping ( R.A. 9344 o Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006.). Jailing 12 to 17 years old is
somehow okay on my part. As I’ve live alone in Manila I have experienced, witnessed and overheard
various uncanny happenings between a person and a child; children cat calling women, harassing
people, using drugs, stealing, and killing.
In the 9th anniversary of 'Imbestigador' they featured different stories of young criminals. One is
Anthony, by the age of 17, he already killed 3 person alongside with his friend Mark, who also
committed murder and rape said the same thought that they were desperate and they know the fact
that they wont get incarcerated because they are minors, that leads them to take the law for
granted; that it’s okay to kill they wont get jailed anyway because they are innocent children who
does not know anything about killing and fornications. Also, in Romblon a 15 year-old kid namely
Jay-ar have been reported numerously due to drug dealings. (Imbestigador, 9 th Anniversary
special). However, I believe that these children will not do it, if they have the right parental
guidance. These children are desperate and poor, they are doing this in order to survive but it was
never right to break the law of morality. Their parents should be the one to correct and discipline
them, parents are the one to blame to these children’s reckless actions. The 21 st century
romanticize the idea of ‘Children are innocent' when in fact children nowadays are not innocent
because of what’s in the television, in the environment, in school and at home. Romanticizing the
idea of ‘Children are innocent' is like being blind. People should not tolerate these children from
breaking the laws of morality and land. These children should be disciplined, most especially at
home. Because if we don’t discipline them, then we’re building a society full of criminals. However,
I’d like to share some disadvantages of these Bill; The Philippines is a periphery country we cannot
afford, rehabilitation centers. So my point is discipline should start at home.
In conclusion, It is alarming to see children at a very young age have tainted their hands with blood.
Children are supposed to play with toys not guns or knife. They were supposed to enjoy their life
with their family but it really is true that desperate time calls for desperate measure and their
parents are to blame for these actions. The story of Anthony, Marvin and Jay-ar shows that children
can be criminals; that they are not innocent.
WORKS CITED
Imbestigador, 9th anniversary special episode: Mga batang kriminal at Mga batang drug runner.
(August 22 and 29 2009)
Thou Shall not kill: a phenomenology of children who committed murder.: Facundo, J.E and
Villasenor T.R (November 2016) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, College of
Communication, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND WELFARE SYSTEM,
CREATING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND WELFARE COUNCIL UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSESR. (9344 o Juvenile
Justice Welfare Act of 2006) (section 2)
