The Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development is launching a comprehensive review of Republic Act No. 9344, also known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, targeting what it describes as major flaws in how the law is carried out.
Committee chairperson Senator Erwin Tulfo announced the move following a string of high-profile violent crimes involving minors, including a school shooting in Tacloban City and separate stabbings in Cavite and Negros Occidental.
Tulfo emphasized that the goal of the panel is to mend broken enforcement systems, ensuring a fair balance between delivering justice to victims and providing authentic rehabilitation for young offenders.
“I have repeatedly raised the alarm about the implementation of this law because on a practical sense, there are really glaring gaps in its implementation,” Tulfo said.
The lawmaker noted that his advocacy for reforming the system dates back to his career prior to entering politics.
“Even before I became a public servant, I witnessed the harsh realities of this law on the ground. For years, helpless victims of minor-led crimes flooded our public service shows who feel completely helpless because of the Juvenile law implementation,” he stressed.
Tulfo has been pointing out structural flaws in the law since 2019, specifically highlighting the underfunding of youth detention and rehabilitation centers, known as Bahay Pag-Asa. He noted that his brief tenure as the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) further exposed these systemic failures.
The upcoming Senate inquiry will focus heavily on the severe shortage of operational Bahay Pag-Asa facilities, the actual effectiveness of intervention initiatives for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) and Children at Risk (CAR), and the enforcement of parental liability.
Additionally, the committee will re-examine highly debated areas of the law, including the current minimum age of criminal responsibility.
“Is the age threshold on criminal liability still realistic given the signs of the times? Are parents of these CICLs being held accountable enough? Are the rehabilitation facilities even existing, let alone working?” the neophyte senator questioned.
To ensure a balanced approach, the committee plans to gather input from legal authorities, law enforcement agencies, social workers, religious groups, medical experts, and parents.
“This review will cover all bases. We are actively getting insights from law experts, law enforcement, social welfare groups, the church, medical professionals, and parents themselves. We need every perspective on the table because we are not just looking at the fine print of the law—we are fixing a broken reality on the ground,” he said.