Majority of Filipinos still support the reimposition of the death penalty in the country, a poll conducted by Pulse Asia showed.
The survey, conducted from March 15 to 20, among 1,200 respondents, however, showed that fewer Filipinos now support the death penalty for heinous crimes, from 81 percent last July to 67 percent in March or a decline of 14 percentage points.
Support for death penalty was majority in every geographic area – Metro Manila and Mindanao with 74 percent, Visayas with 66 percent, and Luzon with 61 percent.
Sixty-eight percent from Class ABC and E believed it should be reimposed, followed by Class D at 66 percent.
Twenty-five percent disagreed that death penalty should be brought back and eight percent were undecided.
Ninety-seven percent of the respondents said the crime of rape should punishable by death, followed by murder at 88 percent. Drug pushing, one of the offenses punishable by the watered down House Bill 4727 or the death penalty bill, was third at 71 percent.
Meanwhile, majority of Filipinos or 55 percent in the survey say the minimum age of criminal liability in the country should be retained at 15 years old. (Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola)