• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Regional
    • Davao Region
    • Northern Mindanao
    • Soccsksargen
    • Caraga Region
    • Zamboanga Peninsula
  • Categories
    • Top Stories
    • Environment
    • Police Files
    • Business
    • Davao Region
    • BARMM
    • Newslights
    • Agriculture and Food
    • Bisaya Kini
    • Where’s Our Money
    • War On Drugs
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
NewsLine Philippines

NewsLine Philippines

Building Information Highway for the Community

  • Top Stories
  • Business
  • Health
  • Environment
  • War On Drugs
  • Bisaya Kini
  • OFW News
  • September 1, 2025

Safe Space

January 21, 2019 by Radzini Oledan

We have monsters in Congress who wants to punish children, as young as nine years old for its failure to put in place an environment where they can grow without being used by adults for criminal activities.

It wants to incarcerate children not only for the failure of its parents to raise them well but also from the implications of an impoverished society which they did not choose to be in. It wants to wash its hands from the responsibility of putting in place the social infrastructure and criminal justice system that would restore the dignity of the human person.

It just wants to aim at and maim children.

It wants to maintain the mediocre and utter incompetence of government officials and politicians who only milk the government coffers. And to let politicians off the hook from their sense of accountability.

Children are being made to suffer.  Some more.

Today, January 21, Congress moves to repeal the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which exempts children 15 years old and younger from criminal liability.    Lawmakers would want to have it easy to pounce on children and not work their way to ensure that law enforcers would apprehend the adults behind the crime.

It easy to prey on children.  It is easy not to take the responsibility.

Like anything else, it is easy not to take accountability for our own shortcomings and blame other people instead. Retribution is the easiest route where taking responsibility to right the wrong should be.

For a long time, there remains an inability to truly understand and fully appreciate the human rights of children. We have witnessed the deplorable situation of children in jails who are left at the mercy of adult criminals. There is no sense in going any way lower than it had.

Child-centered governance demands full accountability from adults in respected position of power and decision making. From the placid compliance of the Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children (BCPCs), lawmakers could have taken the higher road by strengthening these mechanisms towards a restorative juvenile justice system.  With local government units, ensure that diversion and counseling programs are available not only for children in conflict with the law but with the family.

Efforts should make the current law work for, instead of against the children.  Where there are dysfunctional families and justice systems, there is no point to castigate children for the collective failure to make the environment fit for them.  Decision makers could not wash its hands from the failure to provide the safe space for children to become responsible adults, and we could not watch in the sideline as monsters prey.  

Email comments to roledan@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Featured, Opinion Tagged With: child protection, children's welfare and development, juvenile justice, restorative justice

Primary Sidebar

loader-image
Davao City
Davao City, PH
8:03 am, Sep 1, 2025
temperature icon 28°C
scattered clouds
Humidity: 74 %
Wind: 1 mph
Clouds: 40%
Sunrise: 5:30 am
Sunset: 5:45 pm
Detailed weather
Weather from OpenWeatherMap
  • Human trafficking
  • Bisaya Kini
  • Business
  • Health
  • Environment
  • War On Drugs
  • Newslights
  • OFW News
  • Top Stories
  • Where’s Our Money

Youtube Videos

  • NIA-SKIMO nagsugod na sa "Tree Replacement Program", 187 ektaryang yuta gitanumag Kawayan ug Narra
    by NEWSLINE PHILIPPINES at 5:00 am
  • Libreng medical sa gobyerno, napahimuslan sa daghang residente sa usa ka Brgy. sa Magsaysay, DavSur
    by NEWSLINE PHILIPPINES at 4:00 am

Top Stories

DPWH Chief Bonoan rejects calls to resign amid flood control project controversies

August 31, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

DPWH, JICA celebrate breakthrough of Southbound Tunnel in Davao Bypass

August 31, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

Marcos orders DA to lead 60-Day suspension of rice imports

August 31, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

Local groups want October BARMM polls fair and peaceful

August 30, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

DA to include jeepney, tricycle drivers in ₱20 Rice Program starting Sept. 16

August 30, 2025 By Philippine News Agency

More Top Stories Post

Opinion

Content with Purpose: Lessons from Krakow

May 7, 2025 By Editha Z. Caduaya

Duterte’s Arrest: A Victory for EJK victims or an injustice to his legacy?

March 12, 2025 By Editha Z. Caduaya

Senators failed to get what they wanted from Duterte

October 30, 2024 By Editha Z. Caduaya

More Opinion Post

Environment

DA to include jeepney, tricycle drivers in ₱20 Rice Program starting Sept. 16

August 30, 2025 By Philippine News Agency

DENR-12 seizes illegal lumber in Sarangani Boat-Making crackdown

August 28, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

More Environment Post

Governance

More Governance Post

Footer

Contact Us

Newsline Philippines
Mobile: +63917 150 8377
Email Address: newslineph.corres@gmail.com or newsline.ph@gmail.com

Bisaya Kini

45 anyos ng lalaki sikop sa buy bust operation

July 5, 2025 By Paul Palacio

Negosyanteng babaye gipusil-patay sa Davao

June 29, 2025 By Paul Palacio

Car wash boy gipusil-patay sa North Cotabato

June 27, 2025 By Giovani del Mundo

Kanhi Misamis Occidental congressman nakonbikto  tungod sa PDAF scam

June 14, 2025 By Paul Palacio

16 ka fighter jet gigama sa US aron ihanyag sa Pilipinas

June 7, 2025 By Paul Palacio

More Bisaya Kini Post

Agriculture and Food

President Marcos vows support for Fisheries Sector in GenSan visit

July 4, 2025 By NewsLine Philippines

China Coast Guard blasts Filipino boats with water cannons at Panatag Shoal

June 24, 2025 By Editha Z. Caduaya

Boosting Rice Production in the Philippines: Techno Farms, Policies, and Price Challenges

June 20, 2025 By Editha Z. Caduaya

More Post

DISCLAIMER

Newsline Philippine website welcomes healthy discussion, exchange of opinions friendly debate, but comments posted by our readers does not reflect the views and opinion of Newsline Philippines.

Newsline Philippines reserves the right to delete, reproduce, or modify comments posted here without notice. Posts that are inappropriate and does not follow community standard will automatically be deleted.

Newsline Philippines IPO Reg. No. 4/2017/005044896
Newsline Philippines · Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved