Why 15-year-old was charged with murder

The Revised Penal Code defines murder via certain elements:

- JARIUS BONDOC

“Article 248, Murder. Any person who ... shall kill another, shall be guilty of murder and shall be punished by reclusion temporal in its maximum period to death, if committed with any of the following attendant circumstances:

“(1) With treachery, taking advantage of superior strength, with the aid of armed men, or employing means to weaken the defense or of means or persons to insure or afford impunity;

“(2) In consideration of a price, reward or promise;

“(3) By means of inundation, fire, poison, explosion, shipwreck, stranding of a vessel, derailment or assault upon a street car or locomotive, fall of an airship, by means of motor vehicles, or with the use of any other means involving great waste and ruin;

“(4) On occasion of any of the calamities enumerated in the preceding paragraph, or of an earthquake, eruption of a volcano, destructive cyclone, epidemic, or any other public calamity;

“(5) With evident premeditation;

“(6) With cruelty, by deliberately and inhumanly augmenting the suffering, of the victim, or outraging or scoffing at his person or corpse.”

Police charged 15-year-old “Rod” Wednesday with three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder and several counts of physical injuries. This was for the fatal shooting of three classmates, emergency surgery of three more, plus serious injuries to 20 others, including teachers, Monday at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.