Anne Curtis is among celebrities against lowering criminal liability age

FILE: “THE CHILDREN OF THE PHILIPPINES ARE WORTH IT. I will never tire of doing what I can – whether a big or small gesture – to help make this world a better place for children.” (Photo: @annecurtissmith/Instagram)

With the House of Representatives’ first reading approval last Monday, January 21 of lowering the criminal liability age from 15 to nine years old, actress/host Anne Curtis expresses to her followers her dismay on the lower chamber’s decision.

As both a UNICEF-Philippines ambassador and as an appointed celebrity advocate of the United Nations agency for children’s welfare, Anne took to her 11 million followers to share that she believes “at [the age of 9], [children] are still very much children. They still have a chance to change their ways if they happen to cause or get into any trouble instead of being sent to jail and sentenced as an adult.”

During a press conference last Wednesday, January 22 for a vitamin brand she endorses, she also tells ABS-CBN News, “These are people who are still learning, still finding out what’s right and wrong. If they happen to get into a position where they may have caused trouble, or they’re in trouble, they still deserve a chance to correct their ways. They deserve to have the protection from our government perhaps to help them correct their ways.” She adds, “At least they should be given a proper guardian who they are comfortable with. That is my stand,” sharing that she has been reading up about the provisions of the House’s panel proposal as well.

Although she admits “staying away from politics, because everyone has a say, and it’s not always right and it’s not always wrong,” Anne admitted that she felt she had a “social responsibility” to discuss the issue.

“Being with someone who works with children, I felt like this is something where I did have to share what I had to say,” she concludes, “Not everyone will agree with me, and that’s okay. This is my opinion, and that’s how I feel about it.” In light of the situation, Anne believes admires that she does not stand alone in her approach on the issue, saying that “it’s just great that it creates more awareness about what’s happening.

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The House has approved on the second reading of the bill also last Wednesday, this time seeking for the criminal responsibility age to be at 12 years old instead of the earlier proposed nine.