BB Gandanghari has expressed support for her brother, Sen. Robin Padilla, and his proposal to amend the Philippines’ Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act by lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 10 years old.
In a Facebook Live reposted on her social media accounts, BB said she agrees with the senator’s position, emphasizing that the proposal is intended to serve as a deterrent rather than a form of punishment for children.
“Naniniwala ako sa sinasabi ni Robin. Hindi po ito para parusahan ang mga bata. Ang sinasabi po niya is magkaroon ng deterrent. Magkaroon ng kinatatakutan ang mga bata.”
She further explained what she believes is the objective of the proposal.
“So, isinusulong niya ang panukalang ito hindi para ikulong ang lahat ng 10-year-olds. Ang talagang pinanggagalingan lang po nu’n ay may katakutan ang mga batang ito.”
BB also likened the proposal to moral guidance rather than punishment, citing the Ten Commandments as an example.
“Hindi ko po ginagamit ang Diyos. Pero ang totoo po niyan, kaya tayo binigyan ng ten commandments ng Panginoon is not to punish us or to condemn us, but actually to protect us from sin.”
She added that she generally avoids commenting on politics but felt compelled to speak because she considers the issue to be about protecting both children and parents.
“Hindi po ako laging magsasalita kasi umiiwas po ako sa politika but this time this is not political. Kaya kayo gumagawa ng batas para protektahan hindi lang ang mga bata kundi ang mga magulang din.”
BB also appealed to lawmakers to consider the reasoning behind her brother’s proposal.
“Sana naman eh hindi lang puro yung side ninyo, ang pakinggan ninyo, tingnan din nyo yung side why we are pushing for this, why my brother (Sen Robin Padilla) is pushing for this. Hindi po ito politika, hindi po ito para mag-grandstand but it’s really a valid and meron pong cost eh.”
She concluded by saying: “Sana maintindihan lang po yun ng mga senador natin. Nakapag-aaral naman tayong lahat. It’s simple logic. It’s just common sense.”
Sen. Padilla renewed his call to amend the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act following the fatal shooting involving two minors at a school in Tacloban City, an incident that left three students dead and several others injured. He has argued that children as young as 10 years old are already capable of understanding the consequences of their actions.
In addition to lowering the age of criminal responsibility, Padilla has also proposed banning minors from using social media platforms, citing concerns about online radicalization and harmful content.
The proposal, however, has drawn criticism from Akbayan Party-list, which accused the senator of using the recent tragedy to advance legislation it believes would not benefit children. The group maintains that lowering the age of criminal responsibility is not the appropriate response to juvenile crime.
