Most Filipinos oppose Charter change, federalism — Pulse Asia

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos have expressed opposition to amending the 1987 Constitution as around seven out of 10 have rejected the proposed shift to a federal system of government, a latest Pulse Asia survey revealed.

The survey, fielded last March 23-28, showed 64 percent of Filipinos opposed Charter change, against 23 percent who favored it.

Pulse Asia said the opposition to amend the Constitution rose by 20 points from 44 percent in July 2016, while support for Charter change dropped by 14 points from 37 percent.

The same percentages of Filipinos – 32 percent – said the Constitution can still be amended sometime in the future and Charter change should not be done now nor at any other time.

Drops in the level of support for Charter change were recorded across all areas and socio-economic classes.

The highest declines were registered in Mindanao, from 47 percent in July 2016 to 24 percent in March this year; and among classes ABC, from 42 percent to 23 percent.

The poll also showed that public awareness of Charter change rose from 41 percent in July 2016 to 49 percent in March this year.

Meanwhile, the same survey found 66 percent of Filipinos saying they are not in favor of replacing the present unitary system of government with a federal one.

Majority levels of opposition were registered in each geographic area and socio-economic class, at 54 percent to 75 percent and 60 percent to 71 percent, respectively.

Opposition to a federal government was highest in balance Luzon and classes ABC at 75 percent and 71 percent, respectively.

Almost four in 10 or 36 percent rejected proposals to alter the system of government regardless of the timing of such change, while 30 percent are opposed to it now but may be open to changing to a federal government in the future.

Only 27 percent support the change to a federal system, while six percent are ambivalent on the matter, Pulse Asia said.

Support for a federal government was highest among those in the National Capital Region and class E, at 42 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

The shift to federalism is among the centerpieces of the Duterte administration, along with the war on drugs.

The survey, however, showed 75 percent of Filipinos admit to knowing “little or having almost/completely no knowledge” of the 1987 Constitution.

It said “sizable to big majority figures” are registered across geographic areas and socio-economic classes at 70 percent to 82 percent and 63 percent to 82 percent, respectively.

One in four or 25 percent have at least enough knowledge of the Constitution, the pollster said. Of the 25 percent, 21 percent have sufficient knowledge while only four percent claim to know a great deal.

Virtually the same figures were posted across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, with sufficient knowledge levels ranging from 16 percent to 25 percent and 15 percent to 28 percent, while great knowledge levels range from two percent to five percent and three percent to nine percent, respectively.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above.

It has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Palace not giving up

Despite the results of the Pulse Asia survey, Malacañang is not giving up on moves to amend the Constitution to pave the way for federalism, which has been a priority of the Duterte administration in a bid to address the Muslim secessionist problem in Mindanao.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Palace and concerned agencies will not waver on moves to convince the people to adopt the shift in form of government.

“The Duterte administration is working tirelessly in promoting to the public the workings of a federal setup, a campaign promise of the President to bring the government closer to the people,” Roque said, adding that the Palace takes note of the survey results.

“This implies there is still a lot of work to be done by the government in informing, educating and reaching out to our countrymen regarding constitutional reforms,” he said.

 Step up efforts

Following the release of the Pulse Asia survey results, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday said advocates of federalism should be prompted to step up efforts to gain public support.

“I acknowledge that people still need to know more about federalism as the word has remained a new and still unfamiliar concept to them,” Pimentel told reporters.

He said those against federalism might use the survey to push their cause but “then, I will point out the other way of interpreting the results.”

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, a proponent of federalism, said the administration must improve its efforts as its “methods of communicating this to the people have not been successful.”

“It would also be difficult to convince my colleagues on this change if the majority of the people are against the shift, especially since we need a 3/4 vote on amendments to the Charter which translates to 18 votes, of which the majority (bloc) is only at 17,” he said.

“I find these survey numbers an eye-opener to tweak the information campaign or at the very least propose piecemeal amendments to the Charter that will give greater autonomy both financially and politically to local government units,” he said.

 Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said lawmakers should be guided by the sentiment of the people and it was clear from the survey that public awareness and support for Charter change and federalism are low.

‘Heed will of people’

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon urged his colleagues in Congress to listen to the sentiments of the public against the administration’s efforts to change the form of government and just shift their focus on other priorities that matter more to the people.

Drilon said Congress should “heed the will of the people by prioritizing legislation that would address various pressing issues such as poverty and unemployment instead of talking about a term extension.”

“The survey must serve as a wake-up call for the administration and the proponents of federalism in Congress that what the people want is a real solution to the problems that confront them daily,” Drilon said.

The senator, who has been supportive of amending the Constitution but only for the economic provisions, said Congress should now prioritize other pieces of legislation that would have a direct impact on the lives of the people, like those aimed at addressing “endo” (end of contract in employment) and expanding health and social protection coverage.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, who has been conducting hearings on the proposed amendments to the Constitution as chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revisions of codes, said the results of the survey reflected the same sentiments of the public during the consultations held around the country.

Concom respects public decision

Duterte’s consultative committee (Concom) respects the decision of the public who voted against a shift to federalism, but emphasized that the final decision can only be determined through a plebiscite.

Former chief justice and Concom member Reynato Puno said that surveys change from time to time as only a segment of the population is asked about a given issue within a specific period.

“The survey was taken at a time when the consultative committee is still formulating the proposed revisions. Once we are done and the proposed revisions are presented to the public, we are confident that the public perception will change,” Puno said.

“Ultimately, the true pulse of the people will be felt and shown when the plebiscite is held for the people to decide whether or not they want a new constitution and a new system of government,” he added. – With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy, Robertzon Ramirez, Jess Diaz