Jennelyn Badoria, mother of 14-year-old Joyancee Badoria Separa who died in the shooting, said the two minor suspects should be placed in a different detention facility, not just in Bahay Pagasa, which is a shelter for children in conflict with the law (CICL) where they are rehabilitated.
Badoria, who attended the committee hearing via teleconferencing, also asked lawmakers to lower the age of criminal liability so that children of the same age as the suspects can be punished.
“Ang gusto ko lang sabihin na kung puwede, pababaan yung edad na puwedeng makasuhan kasi sabi ng nakabaril sa anak ko, wala siyang criminal liability (What I want to say is that maybe you can lower the age [of criminal responsibility] so that they can be charged. The one who shot our daughter said that he has no criminal liability),” Badoria said.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo agrees with Badoria that CICLs should be detained in separate detention centers specifically built for minors who committed heinous crimes, as it is not enough to place them in Bahay Pagasa facilities run by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
He said youth offenders undergo intervention and rehabilitation programs and are eventually released without realizing the consequences of their actions.
“Naniniwala ako na hindi sila dapat ihalo sa hardened criminals. Everybody believes that. Pero hindi rin dapat mawala ang mensahe na ang bawat aksiyon ay may consequence…Hindi yung nakikita ng mga bata na ‘ah kapag ako ay nag-commit ng crime, pupunta ako sa Bahay Pagasa, at pagdating doon, magba-basketball kami, may ping pong…kumakain sila sama-sama, nagtatawanan
(I believe that CICLs should not be detained together with hardened criminals. Everybody believes that. But we should send a strong message that every action has a consequence…We should take away the mindset that when the youth commit crimes, they will just land in Bahay Pagasa, and once there, they can play basketball, ping pong…they eat together, laugh together),” Tulfo said.
He said CICLs placed under such scenarios will apparently not learn to be scared or remorseful for the misdeeds they have done.
Tulfo also recommended that the Department of Education (DepEd) consider implementing supervised boot camps or carefully designed immersion programs where reformed former Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) can share their life stories and conduct lectures for students.
He said the former PDLs can discuss the hardships they experienced while in prison and how they were able to rebuild their lives and become productive members of society.
Tulfo said proper authorities must look into at least four causes why violence happens in schools –bullying, social media, family problems, and influence from peers.
“If we want lasting solutions, we cannot afford to examine just one piece of the puzzle; we must see the entire picture,” he added.