The 22 June Tacloban school shooting, which left three students dead and 20 others wounded, allegedly at the hands of two minor suspects, has sparked renewed debate over lowering the age of criminal responsibility. The fact that the 14-year-old suspect is exempt from criminal prosecution has revived calls for Congress to finally amend the law.

In the meantime, interest groups are taking advantage of the incident for political gain. Anti-Duterte propagandists outright blame former President Rodrigo Duterte, saying his violent rhetoric, bloody war on drugs and alleged extrajudicial killings not only normalized the use of lethal force but also fostered a culture of impunity in the country.

On the other hand, pro-Duterte networks have weaponized the shooting to attack opposition lawmakers who authored the juvenile justice law. They argue that during Duterte’s administration, there was no school shooting of this nature and that the streets were safer.

To be honest, these narratives unwittingly trivialize an issue that is delicate, sensitive and highly complex. Addressing it requires resorting to empirical studies to determine the root causes of the problem.

To be clear, I do not wish to invalidate prevailing sentiments on the matter. I know where people are coming from. But studies conducted by experts reveal a different picture.

In the United States, minors were once sentenced to death, and many states still impose mandatory life imprisonment without parole on youthful offenders. While statutes vary, the minimum age of criminal responsibility ranges from 6 to 10 years. Despite these strict measures, however, minors continue to commit crimes.

While the Tacloban shooting paints a grim picture, data collected by the Philippine National Police show that children in conflict with the law account for only 1.72 percent of offenses committed in the country and that most of these crimes are relatively minor. In addition, since the implementation of the law, there appears to have been a downward trend, suggesting that offenses committed by minors are actually decreasing.

Besides, it is not true that the law does not punish minors. What it does is keep them separate from adults because research shows that housing them in the same correctional facilities often leads to severe psychological trauma and higher rates of repeat offenses.

Hopefully, stakeholders can go back to the drawing board and conduct more research to address the issue.