Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman enjoined concerned sectors to properly implement Republic Act (RA) 10630 or the “Act Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines” to ensure that children in conflict with the law (CICL) will get the proper justice due them.
Sec. Soliman made this appeal during yesterday’s ceremonial signing of the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) of 2006 or RA 9344, as amended by RA 10630.
She stressed that the enactment of the amended law is a reminder to all sectors in society of the responsibility to make life right for children.
She added that the first step towards implementing the law properly is for adults to be good citizens.
“Lahat tayo ay may responsibilidad na ipakita sa mga bata ang matuwid na pamumuhay upang maging mabuting ehemplo sa kabataan(Everyone is responsible in following the straight path to serve as good models for the youth),” Sec. Soliman said.
Salient features
Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) Executive Director Atty. Tricia Claire A. Oco presented the salient features of RA 10630 which are the core basis for the revised IRR.
These include the allocation of P400 million for the establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa in selected local government units (LGUs), theallocation of 1% of the LGUs’ Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for the mandatory development and integration of the Local Comprehensive Juvenile Intervention Program, and the provision of intensive intervention through the Intensive Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (IJISC) of the Bahay Pag-Asa facilities.
The law also emphasized the importance of retaining the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 15 years old as stipulated in RA 9344, with provisions clearly outlining the specific treatment, process, and intervention programs to be administered to children who committed a crime but cannot be criminally charged.
The amended law also transferred the administrative supervision of the JWWC Secretariat from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the DSWD as chair of the Council.
Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (RJJWC) will also be created in all regions to oversee the implementation of the law.
Moreover, Sec. Soliman explained that the LGUs to be prioritized for the establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa are those with high incidence of CICL. For her, drugs is the number one factor why children are involved in crimes.
She said that with the signing of the revised IRR, the JJWC and its partner agencies can soon begin the assessment and identification of such areas.
The Secretary emphasized that the enactment of the amended law is another milestone in the goal to achieve restorative juvenile justice in the country.
Strengthened prevention programs
Sec. Soliman asked the LGUs to strengthen prevention programs, especially at the barangay level. She also highlighted the importance of establishing youth homes or Bahay Pag-Asa in the rehabilitation of CICL.
She said that, as of December 31,2013, four provinces out of 81, 33 cities out of 144, and 27 municipalities out of 1,490 have youth homes.
Sec. Soliman also proposed the reactivation of the Barangan Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) saying, “Sa partner barangay LGUs, sana buhayin natin ang BCPC bilang konseho na nagpapahalaga sa mga bata (Partner barangay LGUs must ensure the functionality of the BCPC as a council concerned for the welfare of children).”
“Ang mga nakatatanda tulad natin ang may responsibilidad na masigurado na ang mga batang naliligaw ng landas ay hindi malugmok sa kasamaan (We are responsible in ensuring that the children who erred will not fall into the cycle of criminality),”the Secretary added.
She stressed that all must do their role in teaching the children discern what is right and wrong by being model citizens and sincere public servants. ###
