MANILA, Philippines — Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila M. de Lima on Sunday strongly opposed a proposed measure seeking to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old, calling it “a failure of imagination, of compassion, and of government.”

“Lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old is not justice. It is abdication,” De Lima said in a statement issued July 20.

She described children in conflict with the law as victims of a broken system and stressed that they should be treated with care, not incarceration.

“Hindi kriminal ang bata. Ang batang naligaw ay hindi dapat kinukulong kundi kinakausap, inaaruga, at binibigyan ng pag-asa,” she said.

De Lima criticized the bill, backed by Senator Robin Padilla, as a recycled proposal that has long been refuted by experts.

“This bill does not address crime. It punishes trauma. It does not protect society. It betrays children we have already failed,” she said, citing opposition from child rights advocates, neuroscientists, developmental psychologists, and social workers.

She argued that the country already has a comprehensive legal framework for juvenile justice under Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. The law, she said, is grounded in restorative justice, but has suffered from poor implementation.

“Ilan na ba sa ating mga LGU ang may maayos na Bahay Pag-asa? Ilan ang may sapat na social workers, psychologists, at trained personnel to offer real intervention and reintegration?” she asked.

Drawing from her experience as a former Secretary of Justice, De Lima warned against incarcerating children, citing its lasting impact.

“As a former Secretary of Justice, I have seen what jails do to children. And I have seen what care, education, and structured rehabilitation can achieve. The difference is life-changing. Sometimes, life-saving,” she said.

She appealed to fellow lawmakers to reject the bill, saying the proposal is not about being “soft” or “tough” on crime but about the country’s values.

“This is a question of who we are as a people. Are we the kind of nation that throws away a child before we even try to understand their pain?” she said.

De Lima also addressed arguments that children today are more exposed to violence and crime.

“To those who say that children today are ‘more exposed,’ I say: exposure is not consent. Exposure is not maturity. Exposure is not accountability,” she said. “Kung mas exposed ang bata ngayon sa karahasan, droga, at pang-aabuso, lalo silang dapat pangalagaan. Imbes na ikulong.”

“Let us stop treating children as threats. They are mirrors. If we don’t like what we see, it is not the mirror we must shatter. It is the reflection of our failures,” De Lima said.