NEARLY 7 in 10 Filipinos support proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) to either 10 or 12 years old, according to the latest National Momentum Survey, with majority support recorded across all regions and political affiliations.
The survey found that 71.9 percent of adult Filipinos favor lowering the age of criminal liability from the current 15 years old, with 23.4 percent saying they “strongly agree” and 48.5 percent saying they “agree.” On the other hand, 26.9 percent opposed the proposal, including 24.1 percent who said they disagree and 2.8 percent who strongly disagree. Only 1 percent were undecided, while 0.2 percent declined to answer.
Momentum Research said renewed debate over the proposal followed a series of incidents of school-related violence in recent months, prompting some lawmakers to push anew for lowering the MACR.
Support for the proposal was strongest in Metro Manila, where 76.6 percent of respondents were in favor, followed by Mindanao with 76.1 percent and the rest of Luzon with 74.2 percent. Visayas posted the lowest level of support at 58.1 percent, although it still represented a majority of respondents.
Opposition was highest in Visayas at 39.5 percent, followed by the rest of Luzon at 24.6 percent, Mindanao at 23.3 percent and Metro Manila at 22.7 percent.
The survey also found majority support regardless of political affiliation.
Among pro-Duterte respondents, 78.2 percent favored lowering the MACR, the highest among all political groups. Support reached 71.3 percent among independents, 68.2 percent among those aligned with the opposition and 65.2 percent among pro-Marcos respondents.
Momentum Research said the findings indicate that public opinion on the issue does not necessarily follow partisan lines, as supporters and opponents of different political blocs expressed similar views on the proposal.
The National Momentum Survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,438 Filipino adults from July 13 to 16. It has a national margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points at a 95-percent confidence level.
