PHILIPPINE
LAW AND SOCIETY REVIEW
for various reasons. Some call for the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility, while others criticize its implementation. Others point out that crime syndicates have abused this law by exploiting children and by using them to carry out their illegal activities. They are of the view that RA 9344 did not benefit children, but instead enabled the abuse of children for illegal ends. On the other hand, it could be that critics are just too quick to condemn the law. RA 9344 has been in effect for only six years; thus, it may be too early to say whether it has been effective or whether it has met its objectives. Moreover, it has not even been fully implemented in many areas in the country, hence amendment may be premature. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY There is a need to assess how the agencies tasked with the duty to implement RA 9344, particularly the LGUs, have implemented it. It is the objective of this study to determine if the LGUs have been able to implement the law to the letter, and if not, to determine the cause, including the problems and issues that the LGUs encountered in implementing the law, and then come up with solutions to address those issues. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study focused on obtaining information on the manner by which LGUs in Luzon implement RA 9344. A sample population of LGUs in Luzon was surveyed to: (a) determine the extent to which they have implemented the law, (b) identify the problem areas in implementation, (c) determine what is hindering full implementation of the law, and (d) determine what can be done to assist or enable the LGUs.
IMPLEMENTATION OF RA 9344 IN LUZON 79