THE proposal to lower the age of discernment and thus of criminal liability has exposed how twisted some people think.
Some citizens in this country believe that they are the more realistic and practical thinkers. Their common refrain is premised on the so-called “real” thereby disregarding the importance of “norms.” They’re trying to tell the rest of us that they know the best strategy on how to minimize crimes in this country. This unfortunately is a kind of hallucination. I can only guess that the next thing that they would consider or propose is a mandatory amputation for all thieves and robbers.
What’s more ridiculous is that some, especially members of Congress, are convinced that lawmaking is immune from science. I am not sure though which school of legal thought their persuasion is based on, but apparently they are more dogmatic in their pontification of Congress’ lawmaking power.
Another group of people are trying to persuade us with their moronic logic. I know of someone who said that those who are against the proposed law are hypocrites because they never defended the children who died because of Dengvaxia. This kind of thinking is horrible and dangerous. This is not only an attempt to distract us from the real issue. It should alarm us if this way of thinking dominates our political system. The deaths allegedly caused by Dengvaxia require investigation. However, people cannot just join in an ideological bandwagon where facts are not even ascertained.
There is another important thing to emphasize in the face of the current issue, and that is how naively our lawmakers understand the truth and reality of “crime.” The children that lawmakers have in mind are those exploited by big time syndicates and criminals. For sure these lawmakers are thinking of the dirty faces of the rugby boys, and the naked street children. Perhaps unsaid but the proposed law basically presupposes poverty as the cause of crime. It is short of saying that crimes are mostly committed by those who have less in life. Where the economic conditions of the citizens are uneven, we can never expect evenness in the other aspects of life.
Unfortunately, these lawmakers are blind to the fact that crime always has a context. That between a senator who studied law and is accused of plunder versus a ten year old boy who did not even finish grade one and is thus caught in a web of a criminal network, the latter can never be judged as someone who has the capacity to discern – not even similar to that of the former.
The move of Congress is part of the administration’s bigger propaganda against criminality. It is indeed sad that we are lead by people who tell us that this country is getting evil and corrupt because of its citizens. This is another way of saying that all problems in this country such as drugs, garbage, prostitution, petty crimes, and terrorism are cause by all Filipinos who are undisciplined except for our politicians who have been predestined and conceived without sin.
Governance is not just telling people how to behave it also includes the provision and creation of mechanisms for people to behave properly. The current administration is most notable for bullying criminals and threatening those who cannot behave and tow the line. Unfortunately, while almost everyone is being pushed to move closer to jail, ordinary citizens are filling in the spaces that used to be occupied by the plunderers and political thieves who have now been absolved from their sins.