There is a need to strengthen the investigation and enforcement aspect in the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act, senatorial aspirant and former PNP director, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said.
Eleazar is pushing for a state-of-the-art technology to aid the law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and investigation.
He said the law is already in place, and the minor offender given protection. But an additional knowledge of law enforcers on modern technology will boost their capability in handling cases, and the education aspect will be improved.
By doing so, the law enforcement agencies can help address the concerns of the minors and this boils down to the protection of their rights, he added.
Under Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006, offenders 15 years old and below cannot be imprisoned, even if they are found guilty of committing heinous crimes, like rape and murder.
For some sectors, the law has been abused since this exempts young criminals from punishment even if they committed heinous crimes.
Under the law, the police and the Department of Social Welfare personnel should also first determine whether an offender 16 to 18 years of age had “discernment”, meaning he or she, at the time of the commission of the crime, understands the difference between right and wrong, and the consequences of such act.
Eleazar was with presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential bet Vicente Tito Sotto in a virtual press conference with the Western Visayas media Feb. 5./MML
