Senator JV Ejercito is supporting the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to amend the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which provides that youth criminals aged 15 years old and below should not be imprisoned or punished even for a heinous crime.
Ejercito said that the law had good intentions but was used and abused by criminals for their illegal activities.
“In my experience as mayor, the youth were being used by syndicates for their criminal acts. Sakit sa ulo talaga iyan at wala kang magagawa because of the law,” the senator, as former three-term Mayor of San Juan City, today said.
He added, “May ilang mga nahuli namin mga teenagers, may ready photocopy na ng birth certificates!
Ejercito said minor offenders who violate the law, especially heinous crimes, should not just go scot-free.
“It has been more than a decade since this has been passed and implemented. It is time to review and amend the law,” he said.