(Eagle News) — More than 50 percent of Filipinos favor retaining the minimum age of criminal liability at 15 years old.
According to results of a recent Pulse Asia survey, 55 percent voted for the retention.
The survey was done via face-to-face interviews from March 15 to 20.
“This opinion is echoed by big pluralities to sizeable majorities across geographic areas and socioeconomic classes,” Pulse Asia said.
According to the pollster, based on the results, those from the rest of Luzon were more in favor of the 15-year-old minimum age of criminal liability, than those from Metro Manila and Visayas (63 percent vis a vis the 45 percent and 47 percent, respectively).
Only 20 percent of Filipinos favor pegging the lowest age of criminal liability at 12 years old, while only 9 percent said it should be at nine years old.
Support for death penalty
According to the Pulse Asia survey results, support for the death penalty has waned a bit, with 67 percent of Filipinos voting for its implementation.
The figure is down from the 81 percent registered in a Pulse Asia survey conducted in July last year.
Only 25 percent said they were against the death penalty.
Eight percent said they were undecided.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has filed House Bill 002 to lower the age of criminal liability from 15 years old to nine years old.
According to Alvarez, this was to deter the use of increasingly young children as illegal drug couriers.