Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will recommend amendments to firearm ownership laws and the Juvenile Justice Act in light of the Tacloban school shooting and rising school violence.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday, June 25, said authorities thwarted another possible attack on the Tolosa National High School in Leyte. He said this recent spike in school violence raised “infirmities” in the law which he would recommend for Congress to revise.
He said the implementing rules and regulations of gun ownership and responsibility should be rewritten to include a criminal liability for the illegal use and transfer of firearms, and that gun owners should be responsible “100 percent of the time” for their firearms.
“In case one, the firearm used was a service pistol of a police officer. Ang charge lang ay malversation, walang criminal liability ayon sa batas…In the other case, security guard, nakalagay rin ‘don yung baril. Yung dalawang bata, dalawang araw nila plinano to at alam nila kung saan kukuha ng baril,” he explained, referring to how the students behind the Tacloban school crime acquired their firearms.
“Sa nangyari dito, wala kami ma-charge kasi bitin ang batas. Kailangan may criminal liability ang taong ‘to,” he said.
[Translation: In the first case, the firearm used was a service pistol of a police officer. The only charge was malversation, no criminal liability according to the law. In the other case, the weapon of a security guard was used. The two kids planned it for two days and they knew where to get the guns…We can’t charge anyone with what happened here. There must be criminal liability for these people.]
As for the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (Republic Act 9344), Remulla urged Congress to come up with more comprehensive legislation that prioritizes the cognizance and intent of youth suspects instead of lowering the age of criminal liability.
Investigators found that the 14-year-old suspect in the Tacloban shooting fired his weapon at least 33 times.
“Alam niya na hindi siya ma-chacharge kaya siya ang pumutok ng marami,” Remulla said.
[Translation: He knew he wasn’t going to be charged, that’s why he fired so many shots.]
Under the Juvenile Justice Act, youth below 15 years old are exempt from criminal liability. Those 15 and above but under 18 may be held liable if authorities determine they acted with discernment.
Meanwhile, he said that violent games such as Gorebox should be banned permanently. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center temporarily restricted the application after authorities learned that the Tacloban shooting suspects were both avid players.
The Tacloban crime suspects are detained at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth in Tanuan, Leyte. The 15-year-old is facing murder charges.
