Aquino signs law on youth crime Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:49 am | Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 President Aquino

has signed into law a measure delineating the treatment of minors involved in crimes. Aquino signed Republic Act No. 10630, An Act Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 9344, otherwise known as The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006. There have been some changes in the composition of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council but, for the most part, the minimum age of criminal responsibility stands at 15 years of age, said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in a briefing at Malacaang. Aquino signed the new law on Oct. 3 but this was made public only Tuesday. Bahay Pag-asa The old law, RA 9344, mandated authorities to commit youth offenders to a Youth Detention Center managed by accredited local government units (LGUs) and nongovernment organizations (NGOs). The new law, RA 10630, renames the temporary housing Bahay Pag-asa and mandates the creation of a multidisciplinary team for the protection of children composed of a social worker, psychologist or mental health professional, medical doctor, educational-guidance counselor, and barangay council representative. There had been a huge public outcry over the use of minors by criminals, which prompted some sectors to call for a lowering of the age of criminal responsibility. Intervention The new law does not lower the age of criminal responsibility (15 years), but it provides for some exemptions and for more intervention measures. States RA 10630: A child 15 years but below 18 years of age shall likewise be exempt from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program, unless he or she has acted with discernment, in which case, such child shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings in accordance with this act. The new law also makes it clear that the exemption from criminal liability of minors does not include exemption from civil liability, which shall be enforced in accordance with existing laws. The law says only offenders who are 12 years old can be committed to a youth facility.Michael Lim Ubac

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PNoy signs bill postponing SK elections ANC Fri, Oct 4, 2013 The Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) elections will not push through this month. This after President Aquino signed the bill postponing the October SK elections to October 2016, allowing Congress time to consider the abolition of the youth council. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda earlier said the President sees the need to have the youth council system studied amid calls for reform. Earlier, both houses of Congress ratified a bicameral version of the bill, requiring incumbent SK officials to step down at the expiration of their terms in November. The SK election was originally set to coincide with the barangay elections, which would push through next month. The Comelec estimates some 3 million youth were registered to vote for the SK.

SSS to raise contributions amid criticisms over bonuses October 8, 2013 The Social Security System (SSS) is set to implement an increase in contributions from its members and employers amid criticism over bonuses for its officials. ABS-CBN's Alvin Elchico said SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio de Quiros Jr. confirmed that the staterun pension fund is set to collect 11% from employees' monthly salaries in January 2014, up from the current collection of 10.4%. This would still be equally divided between employees and their employers. De Quiros said this increase would prolong the life of the fund by 4 years. The firm earlier said they need to raise its membership premium because it does not have enough funds to cover retirement and other benefits beyond 2039. De Quiros, meanwhile, admitted that the SSS's Board of Directors and employees got more than P200 million in performance-based incentives in 2012, saying these bonuses were "moral" since they encourage employees to work in increases fund revenues. The SSS has around 5,000 employees, with 8 members of the board, who reportedly got at least P1 million each as bonuses.