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National gov't should fund juvenile rehab centers - Lacson

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<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1393619" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>The government should take charge of funding rehabilitation centers for juvenile offenders, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday, as the House of Representatives moved to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 9 from 15.</p><p>The Philippines needs 114 &quot;Bahay Pag-asa&quot; or rehabilitation centers for youth offenders, but only has 63 such facilities, according to the Juvenile Justice Welfare Council (JJWC).</p><p>The law requires local governments to allocate one percent of their internal revenue allotment (IRA) for building the rehabilitation centers, but these get low priority, Lacson said, citing information from Senate President Tito Sotto, who served in the JJWC when he was still vice mayor of Quezon City.</p><p>Some local government may also not be able to afford juvenile reform centers that cost hundreds of millions to build and operate, he said.</p><p>&quot;Dapat national government na iyung mag-provide ng funds dito, huwag ipaubaya sa LGU,&quot; he told radio DZMM.</p><p>(The national government should provide funds here, not delegate it to the LGU.)</p><p>&quot;Hindi kakayanin talaga ng LGUs. Kung kaya man, hindi nila kukuhanin dahil iyung IRA nila, may mga earmark na rin iyun,&quot; he added.</p><p>(The LGUs cannot do it. If ever they can, they will not shoulder that because their IRA is already earmarked.)</p><p>Lacson earlier said he will back a lower age of criminality if the youth offender acted with discernment and his sentencing is suspended until he reaches the age of majority, and if there are enough reformative facilities.</p><p>But the senator, a former chief of the national police, said the age of 9 is &quot;too young&quot; for criminal liability.</p><p>Lawmakers should consult psychologists on determining the age by which a child can discern right from wrong and take responsibility for criminal acts, said Lacson.</p><p>Psychologists, he said, should also shed light on the impact of poverty on a child&#x27;s maturity.</p><div><strong>DZMM, 23 January 2018</strong></div>

<p>The government should take charge of funding rehabilitation centers for juvenile offenders, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday, as the House of Representatives moved to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 9 from 15.<br /> </p>

The government should take charge of funding rehabilitation centers for juvenile offenders, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday, as the House of Representatives moved to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 9 from 15.