Until a law is passed lowering the age of criminal liability to nine years old, parents who willfully allow their children to be involved in the illegal drugs trade should be jailed in their place.

“The parents should be held liable and jailed for allowing these children to be involved in illegal drugs,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Aaron Aquino stressed, after his men arrested a dozen drug-dealing kids in Navotas drug dens.

The arrested minors, whose ages range from 12 to 15, are presently beyond the reach of the criminal justice system despite serving as couriers of drugs syndicates.

Aquino said he supports the lowering of the age of criminal liability to nine years as long as sufficient measures are put in place in the proposed law already approved by the House Justice Committee.

PDEA said it would put the arrested minors under its Sagip Solvent program for street children addicted to solvent, like contact cement readily available in hardware stores.

Meanwhile, Aquino wants derelict parents to be held accountable for the crimes committed by their offspring, probably mindful of the saying, “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”