YESTERDAY, October 23, militant groups staged a rally at the city hall grounds and eventually made their way to the Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue.
Their calls remained the same -- end martial law and lumad killings in Mindanao. They also called the end to attacks in lumad schools, free education, justice for the victims of the Sagay Massacre, and ouster of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, among others.
However, while it is not new to us as rallies like this has been done from one administration to another, it is worrying to see that rallyists bringing minors along is slowly becoming common.
Is it legal or are there any laws protecting children or minors from joining rallies, gatherings, or demonstrations?
Presidential Decree No. 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code of the Philippines does not explicitly states that children are not allowed to join gatherings or demonstrations sponsored by socio-civic organizations.
The law simply states that children are to be given oppotunity to form or join groups. However, when there are parties, gatherings, or demonstrations, the parents or a "responsible person" be present and are to be held peacefully.
Article 53 states that "parents shall give the child every opportunity to form or join social, cultural, educational, recreational, civic or religious organizations or movements and other useful community activities."
Meanwhile, Article 94 pointed that "any demonstrations sponsored by any civic associations and youth associations shall be conducted in a peaceful and lawful manner." While article 54 also states that when a party or gathering is held, the parents or a responsible person should be present to supervise the same.
However, while it does not state that they are not allowed to join any rallies, these children's right to grow up as free individual is somehow being violated. This as we checked the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically the treaty's Articles 12 and 14.
Article 12 of the treaty states that adults should respect the views of the child.
"Children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account... Moreover, the Convention recognizes that the level of a child’s participation in decisions must be appropriate to the child's level of maturity," Unicef states in a fact sheet on the treaty, which was signed 1989.
Article 14 of the convention states that children have the freedom of thought and conscience.
"Children have the right to think and believe what they want," the treaty states.
At an early stage, some militant groups are already influencing the views of children with their own perceptions and views. This is evident with how they take minors to join them in protests. Some of the minor participants are not old enough to understand what is happening around them.
At a young age they are already being pushed into the country's crazy social and political climate without giving the freedom to be simply kids.
These kids must be given the chance to learn from what is happening around them and formulate their own opinions and views on certain matters as they grow up.