SEN. Francis “Chiz” Escudero urged Congress to reassess the country’s juvenile justice laws to address gaps in school safety, youth accountability and the implementation of rehabilitation programs.
In his “Chiz Wiz” podcast, Escudero said that no human-made statute is “perfect or untouchable” and must be revised when no longer responsive to current realities.
Escudero, who co-authored Republic Act (RA) 9344 in 2006 and its amendatory law RA 10630 in 2013, said his long involvement in crafting the juvenile justice framework obliged him to support a fresh, evidence-based review amid fresh debates on juvenile accountability, school safety gaps, and gun access.
“No lawmaker is perfect or knows everything enough to craft a law that should never be changed,” he said.
The senator said that even the framers of the 1987 Constitution included mechanisms for amendment, recognizing that no law can anticipate all future problems.
He said that revisiting the law should not be seen as an admission of error but as a necessary response to changing circumstances.
“All of us lawmakers should be open to any change,” Escudero said, adding that reforms must balance public safety with the welfare and rehabilitation of Filipino children.
Escudero clarified that RA 9344 and RA 10630 already contain accountability, intervention and rehabilitation mechanisms for children in conflict with the law, contrary to claims that minors “cannot be punished.”
He said a “full-cycle review” should examine not only the provisions of the law but also whether national agencies and local governments are properly implementing programs intended to prevent juvenile offenses and rehabilitate minors.
“The law is for the people. If it no longer responds to the needs of the times, it is our duty to correct and adapt it,” he added.