No death penalty for minors under amended Drugs Act

May 06, 2002

Inquirer News Service

MINORS convicted of violating the Dangerous Drugs Act will not be meted out the death penalty, according to an amendment on the Dangerous Drugs Act 2002 filed by opposition Senator Teresa Aquino-Oreta.

"This amendment completely spares children aged 15 years and below from capital punishment," Oreta said.

Oreta said the bicameral committee, in hearings held over the weekend, adopted her proposal to lower by two degrees criminal penalties for youthful offenders between 10 and 15 years old who were found to have acted with discernment or complete knowledge of the criminal acts they were charged with committing.

As for offenders between 15 and 18 years old, the criminal penalties prescribed by law will be lowered by one degree under Oreta's initiative.

Oreta had argued that the Dangerous Drugs Act provided for the imposition of the death penalty on minors.

This despite a provision in the Revised Penal Code that classifies the age of irresponsibility in criminal offenses as 9 years and below and the age of conditional responsibility as being between 9 and 15 years.

"(These) amendments aim to save underage offenders from the death penalty and clear the way for their reform and rehabilitation," Oreta said. Rocky Nazareno