Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Policemen stand near the crime scene of a school compound after a shooting incident at a high school compound in Tacloban City, Leyte province on June 22, 2026. Noel  Sianosa, AFP

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ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17822888710831782288868821.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Policemen stand near the crime scene of a school compound after a shooting incident at a high school compound in Tacloban City, Leyte province on June 22, 2026. Noel Sianosa, AFP</div>MANILA — House members on Wednesday pushed back at proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility in the Philippines after a school shooting in Tacloban City earlier this week that left three dead and more than a dozen injured.Under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children below 15 who are involved in crimes are subject to interventions and rehabilitation. Those 15 and above may be held criminally liable if found to have acted with discernment.Lawmakers said lowering the age that children can be prosecuted and imprisoned will not address what they said is a cultural and systemic problem.&quot;Ang mga bata ay hindi dapat gawing target ng mga patakarang nakasentro sa pagpaparusa habang patuloy na binabalewala ng gobyerno ang mga ugat ng karahasan at iba pang suliraning kinakaharap nila.,&quot; Gabriela Party-List Rep. Sarah Elago said.(Children should not be made targets of policies focused on punishment while government continues to ignore the root causes of the violence and other issues that they face.)<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/24/police-file-criminal-raps-vs-15-year-old-tacloban-school-shooter-0927">Police file criminal raps vs 15-year-old Tacloban school shooter </a></div>She said that the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act &quot;recognizes that children in conflict with the law require intervention, rehabilitation, and support—not punishment as if they were fully mature adults.&quot;Elago added that the government should increase support services for the youth, including funding for learner&#x27;s welfare, school-based mental health programs, public libraries and child protection mechanisms.&quot;Ang solusyon po dito ay pagtigil ng kultura ng impunity (The solution here is ending the culture of impunity),&quot; Kabataan Party-List Rep. Renee Co.She said government must meet standards on the number of youth rehabilitation centers put up and make sure these have enough funding and capacity to provide services to children in conflict with the law.Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said current laws already provide mechanisms to hold the suspects in the Tacloban shooting and other incidents accountable, whether through rehabilitation programs or criminal cases.&quot;Republic Act 9344 did not directly inspire or cause children to commit crimes,&quot; he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/24/tacloban-school-shooter-attended-flag-ceremony-hid-in-cr-before-crime-pnp-0950">Tacloban school shooter attended flag ceremony, hid in CR before crime: PNP </a></div>&quot;At the same time, parents, school officials, firearm owners, and other adults who enabled, facilitated, or failed to prevent the crime may also be held liable. The law is not powerless. The challenge is enforcing it properly and holding all responsible parties accountable,&quot; Chua also said.He also emphasized that values, guidance from parents and teachers, affordable access to mental health services, and having proper role models can help prevent violence in schools.&quot;Hindi maaaring sa bawat trahedya ay edad agad ang binabago. Ang dapat nating ayusin ay ang mga dahilan kung bakit nalilihis ng landas at naaakit sa karahasan ang ilang kabataan,” he added.(We cannot just lower the age after every tragedy. What we need to address is why some youth lose their way and are attracted to violence.)<div> </div><div>HOUSE PROBE SOUGHT</div>Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano has filed a resolution for a House inquiry into the shooting and other violent incidents in schools.He said lawmakers &quot;must determine where our schools, local governments, and national agencies are falling short, and what legislative reforms are needed to strengthen campus security, guidance services, mental health programs, and violence prevention measures before more students and teachers are harmed.&quot;He said public schools lack security personnel, guidance counselors, and nurses to help keep students, faculty and staff safe and local government units should work together &quot;on providing properly trained security and safety personnel to schools.&quot;<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2026/6/23/marcos-open-to-banning-violent-online-games-1724">Marcos open to banning &#x27;violent&#x27; online games – Palace </a></div>House Deputy Speaker David &quot;Jayjay&quot; Suarez of Quezon, author of House Bill No. 9825 — the Digital Safety of Minors Act — has meanwhile called for passage of his proposal to require age verification and other safeguards to protect minors online.&quot;Hindi na po natin puwedeng balewalain ang epekto ng harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation, at masasamang impluwensya sa kabataan,&quot; he said.(We can no longer ignore the effects that harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation and bad influences have on the youth.)He said letting minors interact in digital spaces without guidance and safeguards puts their safety, mental health, and personal development at risk.Chua also said he sees the need for tighter controls on minors&#x27; access to online games and social media.  &quot;The approach can be similar to how our laws ban smoking and how other countries have banned social media for children and teenagers,&quot; he said. — from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News

Under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children below 15 who are involved in crimes are subject to interventions and rehabilitation. Those 15 and above may be held criminally liable if found to have acted with discernment.

Under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children below 15 who are involved in crimes are subject to interventions and rehabilitation. Those 15 and above may be held criminally liable if found to have acted with discernment.

Some House members push back on lowering age of criminal responsibility

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Some House members push back on lowering age of criminal responsibility

ABS-CBN News

Published June 24, 2026 04:17 PM PHT

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Tacloban City

School shooting

Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility

Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act

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