Rafael Bandayrel
By ELLALYN V. RUIZ
Seven out of 10 Filipinos are against efforts to change the 1987 Constitution, the latest Pulse Asia survey released yesterday showed.
The nationwide survey conducted from June 15 to 21 among 1,800 respondents found out that 67 percent oppose Charter change.
Thirty-seven percent oppose changing the 1987 Philippine Constitution now and in the future while 30 percent are against it at present but may be open to it sometime in the future.
The rest either support Cha-cha now (18 percent) or undecided on the matter (14 percent).
During the period March to June 2018, Pulse Asia explained that the overall level of support for Cha-cha declined by five percentage points while public opposition against it now and in the future became more notable (+5 percentage points).
“Big pluralities” in Metro Manila (40 percent), rest of Luzon (40 percent), Visayas (43 percent), and Class D or “masa” (38 percent) are against Cha-cha now and in the future.
About the same percentages of those in Class E either reject it now and in the future (32 percent) or oppose it now but may be supportive of its in the future (30 percent).
In Mindanao and upper-to-middle Class ABC, nearly the same percentages oppose Cha-cha now but may be open to it in the future (34 percent and 30 percent, respectively), support it now (28 percent and 25 percent, respectively), or reject it now and in the future (26 percent and 38 percent, respectively).
From March to June 2018, support for charter change now declined among those in Metro Manila (17 percentage points) while opposition became more pronounced in Visayas (+15 percentage points) and poorest Class E (+12 percentage points).
More specifically, opposition to changing the country’s Charter now and in the future became more manifested among those in Visayas (+15 percentage points).
The survey also showed that a shift to a federal system of government was rejected by six out of 10 Filipinos (62 percent).
Thirty-four percent oppose it now and in the future and 28 percent are against it now but may be open to it in the future.
With the exception of Mindanao (45 percent), majority levels of opposition to federalism now are recorded across geographic areas and socio-economic classes (56 to 72 percent and 54 to 68 percent, respectively).
Twenty-eight percent are supportive of a shift to a federal form of government now and ambivalence on the matter is expressed by 10 percent of Filipinos.
