Children are not scapegoats: Why Padilla's bill misses the mark

In July 2025, Sen. Robinhood Padilla filed a bill seeking to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to just 10 years old.

- By JENEAN ALEXA CRUZ

This move attempts to amend Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, by removing criminal liability exemptions for children as young as 10 if they commit heinous crimes.

The bill gained renewed attention after a chilling incident in Tagum City where Sophia Marie Coquilla, a 19-year-old honor graduate and incoming UP student, was brutally murdered in her own bedroom. Her alleged killers? Two minors. The crime shook the nation and for many, it became the perfect example of why our justice system "needs to be tougher" on minors.

But let's stop and ask: what really happened here, and what should we learn from it?