Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the Department of Justice to work for the immediate release of hundreds of children still in jails in the country contrary to a law enacted last year, DPA QUOTED a statement as saying Wednesday. The order covers inmates in facilities of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of Corrections, who were 15 years old and below at the time they committed the crime for which they are imprisoned. The government statement said Arroyo issued the order after learning that hundreds of children were still in detention despite the enactment of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which she signed into law in April last year. Under the law, children who are 15 years and below could not be held criminally liable for crimes they commit and would instead be rehabilitated under the supervision of the departments of justice and social welfare. The law also stipulates that offenders aged between 15 years and 18 years would only be criminally liable if they are found to have committed the crime with discernment. In her order, Arroyo directed the Department of Justice, through the Public Attorney's Office, "to immediately file petitions in courts for the release of minors who are already convicted and those who are in detention pending trial." Upon the issuance of the court release order, the children would be turned over to their parents under supervision of the social welfare department. The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act was signed into law amid a controversy over hundreds of young offenders suffering various abuses while languishing in jails that are overcrowded, dirty and lacking in facilities.
