Netizens have asked for Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s attention after the life of a student of Ateneo de Davao was ended by two minors.
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According to the report, the victim, Sophia Marie G. Coquilla, 19, was butchered by two suspects aged 14 and 17.
The suspects entered the house of the victim on July 9 and reportedly stabbed her 38 times using a grass cutter.
There were also signs that a bowl, a dumbbell, and a handkerchief were used against Coquilla.
Coquilla’s belongings were also missing, a sign that the intention of the suspects was theft.
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Because they were minors, the suspects were protected by the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, authored by Pangilinan.
As the author of the said law, Pangilinan captured the attention of the netizens again and renewed the calls to amend it.
“I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration over Republic Act 9344, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which you principally authored. While I understand that the law was created with the intent to protect and rehabilitate children in conflict with the law, recent events have exposed its most painful flaw: the denial of justice to victims and their families,” netizen Kel Dantes said.
“Sophia’s tragic death at the hands of minors—who will not face imprisonment because of RA 9344—is a heartbreaking example of how this law fails to uphold accountability. It is devastating to see her killers walk free simply because of their age, while her family is left with unimaginable grief and no clear path to justice.
“No child should commit murder and be shielded from consequence. No family should be told that justice is not possible simply because the perpetrators were under 15.
I urge you to re-examine this law. Protecting children and ensuring justice should never be mutually exclusive. Reform is long overdue.”
