Cobbie Jan Canda of Kabataan Partylist explained that the Tacloban shooting incident, where students were suspects, should not be viewed in a simplistic “black and white” manner.
He stressed that Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) within the Juvenile Justice System must be provided with psychosocial interventions.
Canda argued that it is unjust to merely focus on a child’s guilt without examining how they ended up in such a situation. He reminded the public that children are still developing and should not be judged in the same way as adults.
Finally, he pointed out that there are gaps in the current law that need to be fixed to ensure proper attention and protection for children.
