Following the deadly shooting in Tacloban City, a lawmaker is calling for an urgent and comprehensive review of Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, amid renewed debate over how the law applies to serious crimes involving minors.
Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin said the law, while grounded in “noble intentions” to protect children, must be reassessed in light of recent events.
Garbin joined public mourning over the killing of at least four students in a shooting incident at San Jose Tacloban High School, allegedly carried out by two minors.
“No words can fully measure a loss of this magnitude… The entire nation grieves with you,” he said, extending condolences to the victims’ families.
As author of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, Garbin stressed that bullying is a serious offense that must be addressed firmly, but warned it cannot be used to justify violent retaliation, particularly the taking of lives.
He also cited circulating but unverified reports suggesting the suspects may have believed their status as minors would shield them from full accountability, underscoring the need to reassess legal safeguards.
Garbin said the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act should be revisited and amended where necessary to ensure that protection for children does not result in impunity for those who act with discernment.
“I am not calling for the wholesale criminalization of childhood… What I am calling for is meaningful accountability where discernment is clearly established,” he said.
The lawmaker clarified that he supports the doctrine of discernment for minors aged 15 to 18, but argued it must be applied with stronger legal force in cases involving serious crimes.
He also proposed stricter penalties for negligent firearm owners whose unsecured weapons are accessed and used by minors or other individuals to commit crimes.
“A gun left unsecured is not a private matter; it is a public danger waiting for an occasion,” Garbin said, adding that liability rules could be aligned with the “registered owner principle” used in motor vehicle cases.