Gatchalian rejects lower criminal liability age, backs social media ban for minors

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June 24, 2026 | 2:16pm

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he personally disagrees with proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility and instead suggested banning social media access for users aged 16 and below following the deadly school shooting in Tacloban City.

Gatchalian cited initial police findings indicating that the suspects in the Tacloban school shooting, aged 14 and 15, were heavily influenced by violent online games and content.

“I personally think that these [harmful online games and contents] are the reasons why our kind children become violent, they are being influenced,” Gatchalian said in Filipino in an interview with dzMM on Wednesday, June 24.

Gatchalian earlier filed Senate Bill No. 2066, or the proposed Social Media Safety for Children Act, in April, which seeks to protect children aged 16 and below from harmful online exposure by prohibiting them from accessing and creating accounts on social media platforms.

Reforms, not imprisonment

Gatchalian rejected the suggestion of Sen. Robin Padilla to lower the age of criminal liability to 10, saying children in conflict with the law can still be reformed through proper guidance, education and rehabilitation at Bahay Pag-asa.

‘Yung mga children in conflict with the law, kapag binigyan ng tamang edukasyon, tamang gabay, at even spiritual guidance, narereporma sila at bumabalik sila sa lipunan na kapaki-pakinabang at nakakatulong sa ating komunidad,” Gatchalian said.

Bahay Pag-asa facilities are centers funded and managed by local government units and non-government organizations that provide rehabilitation for children in conflict with the law and children at risk.

These institutions were established under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act as alternatives to detention facilities for children who cannot be committed to regular prisons, and Gatchalian clarified that under the law, minors who commit crimes are not automatically exempt from accountability.

“Ang nakikita ko na importante dito ay ma-implement nang mabuti ang ating batas, ‘yung pagbibigay ng reporma sa mga bata,” Gatchalian added.

(What’s important is better implementation of our laws, giving reforms to children [in conflict with the law])

‘Not the solution’

Amnesty International Philippines, meanwhile, urged Congress to reject renewed calls to lower the minimum age of criminal liability, saying such proposals fail to address the root causes of the problem.

“This tragedy must not be exploited to revive failed and dangerous proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility or further weaken the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. Such knee-jerk reactions fail to address the root causes of harm and places more children at risk,” Amnesty International Philippines section director Ritzee Santos III said in a statement.

The group said children in conflict with the law are often products of failed support and protection mechanisms, adding that proposals for “harsher laws” are “reckless.”

“The Tacloban school shooting did not also happen in a vacuum. It also reflects the consequences when culture of impunity is normalized,” Amnesty said.