MANILA, Philippines — It is hypocrisy to punish children and ignore drug lords and syndicates, a children’s rights group said Sunday.

Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns slammed Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte for her recent statement on children’s capability to commit crimes.

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“It is with such hypocrisy that Mayor Sarah and his father opt to punish children while forgetting to punish drug lords and syndicates,” Eule Rico Bonganay of Salinlahi said in a statement.

This was in response to Duterte’s Instagram post over the weekend that said, “Children are capable of committing crimes. Put that in your head. Wag na sana kayo mag pretend na anghel ang mga bata, wala po tayo sa langit.”

“We have documented cases of 12,13,14 year old children committing rape, murder, theft, robbery, drug smuggling, drug peddling even arson,” Duterte added.

While Salinlahi recognizes that children breaking the law is a reality, the group reiterated their previous statement that children in conflict with the laws are victims of poverty.

“We reiterate that children in conflict with the law are victims of poverty and state neglect of rehabilitative services that they (Duterte government) should have provided in the first place,” Bonganay said.

He added, “It is ridiculous when a government official puts all the blame on children and echo a wrong and punitive solution to the problem.”

Meanwhile, Davao City is known for its Davao City Child Welfare Code which provides for a comprehensive children and family support system in the city.

The House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years old, and not nine years old as earlier proposed. /cbb

READ: Amid public anger, House relents on criminalizing 9-yr-olds

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