In Defense of the Right to Life: Analyzing Factors Affecting Filipino Opinion About Death Penalty We should note, as well, that the perceived rise in crime rates have a tendency to sway public attitudes towards the imposition of harsher penalties, as in this case, the death penalty. Roberts, et al. (2002) stated that media plays a role in this, where despite evidence, fear of crime due to media portrayal is heightened, and can only be assuaged by harsher penalties.15 Populist leaders respond to this by proposing the said measures, despite evidence of its efficiency. C. Filipino Public Opinion on the Death Penalty In the Philippines, supporters of the bill aiming to reinstate the death penalty have cited high public support based on surveys to bolster their claim that the death penalty should be brought back to deter crime and as punishment for heinous crimes.16 Previous surveys done by Social Weather Stations (SWS) have shown that Filipinos, to varying degrees, have favored government proposals whether to impose the death penalty, especially for heinous crimes (see Table 1 in the annex). In 1991, prior to the re-introduction of the death penalty in 1993 under the Ramos administration, 59% agreed that “People convicted of murder should be subject to death penalty,” before increasing to 64% in 1992 and to 71% in 1993. In 1998, just before the execution of Leo Echagaray, the first since the death penalty’s reinstatement in 1993, 81% were in favor that “For heinous crimes, death penalty is the proper sentence.” In January 2001, 38% agreed, whereas 32% disagreed, with then-Pres. Estrada’s decision to commute the death sentence of prisoners, “President Estrada is right in lessening to life imprisonment the punishment for the 105 prisoners who at present are already sentenced to the death penalty.” However, in 2004-2006, when the Arroyo government deliberated on abolishing the death penalty, pluralities favored abolishing the death penalty. Forty-six percent in 2004 agreed that “The government’s policy to avoid implementing the death penalty on those already sentenced to death is right”, and 48% in 2006 approved of Congress of passing a bill to remove death penalty for heinous crimes and replace it instead with life imprisonment. Public opinion once again mirrored the government policy in 2016, when 74% agreed with then-newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes like murder, rape and selling of drugs. In a 2017 survey, after the administration limited the scope to crimes related to illegal drugs, 60% approved of the proposed law that will reimpose death penalty on heinous crimes pertaining to illegal drugs. In a March 2017 survey,17 only 13% had extensive knowledge, while 35% had partial but sufficient knowledge of the proposal to reimpose the death penalty; a slim majority (52%) had either only a little (43%) or almost no knowledge (10%) of the proposal. Not unexpected, those with more knowledge were more likely to approve of the Duterte administration’s proposal to reimpose the death penalty than those with only a little or almost no knowledge about it. Approval was as high as 78% among those with extensive knowledge, 70% among those with partial but sufficient knowledge, 54% among those with only a little knowledge and 33% among those with almost no knowledge. More tellingly, a June 2017 survey18 found that 47% mistakenly thought that using illegal drugs is a crime punishable by death; only 53% correctly answered that this is not true. A higher 59% mistakenly believed that the selling of illegal drugs is punishable by death. JULIAN ROBERTS, ET AL., PENAL POPULISM AND PUBLIC OPINION: LESSONS FROM FIVE COUNTRIES (2002). MAI SATO & PAUL BACON, THE PUBLIC OPINION MYTH: WHY JAPAN RETAINS THE DEATH PENALTY (2015). 17 Social Weather Stations, First Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey: 48% of Pinoys have at least partial knowledge of the proposal to reimpose the death penalty on heinous crimes related to illegal drugs; Net approval of it a Good +38, 25 April 2017, available at https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20170425085448 (last accessed 08 September 2020). 18 Social Weather Stations. June 23-26, 2017 Social Weather Survey: Nearly half of Filipinos mistakenly believe drug use is punishable by death, 3 October 2017, available at https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART20171003133419 (last accessed 08 September 2020). 15 16 3