The Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development will conduct a total review of the implementation of Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 in order to address the “glaring gaps in its implementation.”

Senator Erwin Tulfo (Senate PRIB photo)

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate panel, made the commitment in the wake of the alarming, high-profile crimes involving minors such as the shooting that occurred in a high school in Tacloban City and the stabbing incidents in Negros Occidental and Cavite.

Tulfo clarified that his panel is set on fixing broken enforcement mechanisms in order to strike a balance between absolute justice for the victims and genuine rehabilitation for minors.

“I have repeatedly raised the alarm about the implementation of this law because on a practical sense, there are really glaring gaps in its implementation,” Tulfo said.

The senator said the review is something that he has been pushing for long before he entered public office.

“Even before I became a public servant, I witnessed the harsh realities of this law on the ground. For years, helpless victims of minor-led crimes flooded our public service shows who feel completely helpless because of the Juvenile law implementation,” he stressed.

As earlier as 2019, Tulfo said he has been criticizing how the law is being enforced, specifically citing the lack of funding for Bahay Pag-asa centers and also been questioning the reality of enforcing the current age of criminal liability.

During his stint as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Tulfo said he witnessed firsthand the systemic failures of the law’s implementation.

The lawmaker said the committee will review the severe shortage of functional Bahay Pag-asa facilities, the effectiveness of intervention programs for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) and Children at Risk (CAR), and the enforcement of strict parental accountability, among other issues.

His committee will also be focusing on reviewing the lack of Bahay Pag-asa, how intervention programs are applied to the Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) or Children at Risk (CAR), and how parental accountability are being enforced.

Likewise, the committee will look into the contentious provisions of the law such as the age threshold for criminal liability.

“Is the age threshold on criminal liability still realistic given the signs of the times? Are parents of these CICLs being held accountable enough? Are the rehabilitation facilities even existing, let alone working?” the neophyte senator questioned.

“This review will cover all bases. We are actively getting insights from law experts, law enforcement, social welfare groups, the church, medical professionals, and parents themselves. We need every perspective on the table because we are not just looking at the fine print of the law—we are fixing a broken reality on the ground,” he said.