Party-list rep: Concerted effort to discredit Pulse survey?

MANILA, Philippines — Unlike most of her colleagues in the House of Representatives, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro thinks the Pulse Asia survey results on Charter change are “valid.”

Castro said there might be a “concerted effort” to discredit the survey, which showed that 88 percent of Filipinos are against amending the 1987 Constitution.

“The initial questions posed in the survey clearly indicate a binary choice regarding support or opposition to Cha-cha,” Castro said. “This (survey result) is a reflection of the strong public sentiment against any moves to change the Constitution.”

She noted that while some may argue that political amendments are irrelevant, it is important to acknowledge that if a constituent assembly were to convene, it would have the authority to propose and approve amendments on various matters, including political and economic aspects.

“Thus, the inclusion of political amendments in the survey is valid, as it reflects the potential scope of changes that could be made through the Cha-cha process,” Castro said.

The lawmaker pointed out there could also be other potential amendments such as those related to martial law safeguards, foreign bases and armed forces and other provisions.

“The manner in which the current mode of Cha-cha was pursued, through legislation, sets a precedent for future attempts to amend or revise the Constitution, potentially bypassing more rigorous processes,” she added.

Castro made the statement as some of her colleagues at the House questioned the survey results, underscoring that the questions were “biased and leading.”

Senators, on the other hand, said the results of the survey taken by a reputable pollster showed that there was no rush in pushing for Cha-cha at this time.

The head of Pulse Asia has defended the survey methodology.

‘Senators should also be upset by survey’

Congressmen, however, said yesterday that the absence of questions about the merits of an economic Charter change should also “enrage” senators since the Senate’s Resolution of Both Houses 6 and the House of Representatives’ RBH7 are almost identical.

“Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and his fellow authors of RBH6 should be similarly enraged by Pulse Asia’s framing of the questions since it also made a mockery of their measure,” said House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre.

Zubiri, along with Senate Pro Tempore Loren Legarda and Sen. Sonny Angara, who also heads the subcommittee on constitutional amendments, were the authors of RBH6 that aims to lift prohibitive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.

Administration congressmen raised a howl over the manner the survey questions were framed, with House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin observing the reputable pollster made it like a “chopsuey” where non-economic queries were raised, and included issues that were not taken up.

“It’s chopsuey. The questions should have been limited to economic Cha-cha only. The conclusion that 75 percent reject Cha-cha is wrong, because they also polled that 75 percent said they were not aware and don’t know Cha-cha. So, they should not have been asked in the first place,” Garin said, hinting there could have been a hand behind the survey results.

“The way the questions were drafted created problems or confusion. It’s not the real truth, that is why this will result in a lot of confusion,” Garin explained, citing as basis questions about federalism that were put forth by the previous administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

She also referred to queries that delved on “term extensions” for public officials, changing the “unitary to a federal system of government,” from “presidential to parliamentary,” shifting from “bicameral to unicameral” Congress and allowing foreigners to “exploit our natural resources.”

House Deputy Speaker David Suarez stressed the importance of public awareness and engagement in the discourse on constitutional reform to ensure that the proposed amendments align with the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people.