Statement of Commissioner KarenS.
Gomez -Dumpiton the 16th World Day Against
Death Penalty Recommendations/Ways
Forward on the SWS Survey on the Death Penalty
October
10, 2018
From all of these findings, | can sum up all our learnings into one thing. FACTS FORM OPINION. And
the reverse is also true, alternative facts, fake news also form opinion.
From
this exercise, the Commission
make
informed
learned that if people are presented
conclusions. Using the iceberg
model, we
looked
with facts, they can
into what
is underneath
the
tip of the iceberg. It is very important to surface everything that's beneath the waters in order
to get to the core of an issue—in this case, the death penalty. We also combined this with aspects
of
“deliberative
polling”
to
ensure
that
the
people
are
This survey is the first of its kind in the Philippines and
able
to
make
will start a new
informed
way
choices.
of doing
things.
This method also shows us that if people are given options, their responses will be more diverse,
and can covey what they truly believe in. In this case, we were able to support existing studies that
debunk the myths about death penalty.
We were also able to prove that dealing with the death penalty issue, should be more than just
asking
whether to reimpose
7 out of 10 would
We
We
have
also
to
have
it or not. Our survey showed
not choose the death
frame
to
note
our
issues,
that
there
penalty. And
in
were
a
way
instances
that if people were
so, this should
given a choice,
be a reminded
that
gives
our
when
the
answers
people
of the
for us all.
alternatives.
people
had
contradictions, as where we found that 6 out of 10 believe that death penalty can only be imposed
it the courts can show that they are certain not to wrongfully sentence an innocent person to
death; but at the same time 6 out of 10 also believed that it is very possible that the courts would
wrongfully
sentence
people
accused
of
doing
78
a
crime.
In
this
instance,
we
are