MANILA — Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Representative Leila de Lima has strongly criticized the proposed bill of Senator Robin Padilla that seeks to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 10 years old.

The former justice secretary argued that the proposal would do more harm than good to children already burdened by poverty, trauma, and a failing justice system.

De Lima stressed lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old “is not justice but an abdication.” “It is a failure of imagination, of compassion, and of government.”

“Hindi kriminal ang bata. Ang batang naligaw ay hindi dapat kinukulong kundi kinakausap, inaaruga, at binibigyan ng pag-asa.”

Senator Leila de Lima emphasized that addressing the flaws in the justice system should not come at the expense of children. Instead, she calls for deeper reflection and accountability from society as a whole.

“We fix it by asking hard questions: Bakit may batang nalululong sa krimen? Sino ang tunay na nakikinabang sa mga pagkakasalang ito? Saan tayo nagkulang bilang lipunan?”

She further called Padilla’s proposal “a recycled idea that refuses to die,” pointing out that it has been consistently challenged by “child rights advocates, neuroscientists, developmental psychologists, social workers, and human rights defenders.” She also warned that the bill misplaces its focus.

“The bill does not address crime. It punishes trauma. It does not protect society. It betrays children we have already failed.”

She pointed out that there is already a law in place — Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which she described as “clear, progressive, and rooted in restorative justice.”

De Lima stressed that what’s lacking is not legislation, but thoughtful implementation. She asked how many LGUs have a functioning Bahay Pag-asa with enough social workers, psychologists, and trained personnel to offer real intervention and reintegration.

Drawing from her experience as a former Secretary of Justice, she stressed the life-altering effects of choosing care over incarceration.

“I have seen what jails do to children. And I have seen what care, education, and structured rehabilitation can achieve. The difference is life-changing. Sometimes, life-saving.”

“Kung ang sagot natin sa batang nadapa ay kulungan, hindi ang bata ang tunay na dapat usigin kundi ang sistemang wala nang malasakit,” she added.

De Lima urged her fellow lawmakers to deeply consider the moral implications of the proposal, emphasizing that the issue isn’t about being “soft” or “tough” on crime, but rather reflects who we are as a people. She questioned whether we truly want to be a society that abandons children before even attempting to understand their suffering.

The lawmaker emphasized that a just society must distinguish between punishment and cruelty. Finally, she called on everyone to stop treating children as threats, stating:

“They are mirrors. If we don’t like what we see, it is not the mirror we must shatter. It is the reflection of our failures.”

Leila de Lima FB and Robin Padilla FB