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Cops working with Congress on ‘hamog’ boys


Amid a recent streak of crimes involving minors, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is working with Congress on the proposal to lower the age at which young criminal offenders or the so-called "hamog boys" can be charged. PNP chief Deputy Director General Nicanor Bartolome said they are studying several bills recommending different ages at which juvenile offenders can be subjected to criminal charges. “Tayo ay nakikipagugnayan sa Kongreso lalo sa pagpapababa ng edad kung saan pwede makasuhan. Kung bata, ayon sa ating batas, hindi pwede kasuhan yan," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Bartolome said there are several pending bills in Congress that are seeking to lower the age of criminal liability. “Sa Kongreso may proposal doon na ibaba ito sa 15 taon, meron nga 12; iba-iba ang panukala," he added. The present Juvenile Justice Act, Republic Act 9344, went into effect in 2006. Under Section 6 of the law, a child 15 years old or below at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability but be subjected to an intervention program. It added a child aged between 15 and 18 “shall likewise be exempt from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program, unless he/she has acted with discernment, in which case, such child shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings in accordance with this Act." “The exemption from criminal liability herein established does not include exemption from civil liability, which shall be enforced in accordance with existing laws," it added. Not effective Bartolome said the Department of Social Welfare and Development is the agency in-charge of overseeing minors who loiter in the streets. "DSWD ang mangangasiwa sa kanila pero hindi na effective ito dahil pabalik-balik ang mga batang ito sa lansangan," he added. Bartolome alleged that children loitering in the streets are often the ones recruited by criminal syndicates and introduced to the culture of crime and violence. He said young criminal offenders will most likely end up committing worse crimes such as homicide and robbery. “Maliksi talagang kabataan yan, sa bugso ng kagustuhang di mahuli, mabibilis maliliksi ," he said. - VVP, GMA News

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