Kiko Pangilinan released a statement on the Tacloban shooting
Senator Kiko Pangilinan strongly condemned the shooting of two minors inside a school in Tacloban, Leyte.
On the morning of June 22, 2026, two male students, 14 and 15, had their shooting spree inside their school campus. The incident resulted in the death of four students, and several others were injured.
Out of this situation, a heroic act was commended by the online community. Chris Lorenz Fabian, a student in the said school, sacrificed his life for his classmates when he closed the door of the classroom just to help others hide.
Amid the issue, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, or RA 9344, is being questioned. Previously, Senator Robin Padilla renewed his call to amend the said law, with the aim of lowering the age for criminal liability.
Based on the information from the Supreme Court E-Library, the RA 9344 stated that “A child fifteen (15) years of age or under at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability.”
With this, as one of the authors of this law, the husband of Megastar Sharon Cuneta has received criticism.
In Sen. Kiko Pangilinan’s statement on the Tacloban shooting, he condemned the heartbreaking incident, and he also called for the speedy and proper implementation of the Juvenile Justice Law he filed.
He added that those involved in crimes cannot be released even if they are minors. “Ang tunay na hamon ay hindi ang pagpapakalat ng takot at disinformation, kundi ang ganap na pagpapatupad ng batas at pagtiyak na may hustisya, accountability, at proteksyon para sa lahat ng bata,” the lawmaker stressed.
This came with a video in which he was clarifying the RA 9344. Pangilinan said that minors should still be held liable, but the punishment is part of the process under the Juvenile Justice System.
In another post on his Facebook page, he stressed that it is not right to say that minors should not be punished for the crimes they committed. “Walang lugar ang karahasan sa ating lipunan, lalong-lalo na sa mga lugar na dapat ay ligtas para sa mga bata,” he wrote in the caption of his post.