With around 75-percent of Filipinos “unaware” of what federalism is, President Rodrigo Duterte’s consultative committee on Charter change has decided to launch a nationwide information drive in the upcoming months.
Ding Generoso, spokesman of Duterte’s Consultative Committee (Con-com), said they will start crafting and publishing informative materials on social media as a way to reach out to more Filipinos across the country, and hopefully increase awareness about the federal system of government among Filipinos.
As of this posting, the Con-com has not yet created an official Facebook page and an official Twitter account. Facebook and Twitter are social media platforms that are considered most popular, if not most effective, for advocacy push.
“This information campaign will cover not only the traditional mass media but also social media,” Generoso told reporters in a press briefing at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).
“This will be conducted over several months so people will be made aware of the need of change, and what it will bring to them,” the Con-com spokesman said.
READ: Federal system what? 75% of Filipinos not aware – SWS survey
A Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll disclosed on Thursday that only 25% of Filipinos were aware of what the federal system of government is, but majority of those who were aware were supportive of the idea.
Despite the low awareness, the survey found that 37 percent of respondents agree with the federal system of government, consisting of 14 percent who strongly agree and 23 percent who somewhat agree.
Right now, Generoso said that regional consultations were underway in various provinces in the country, targeting farmers, fishermen, professionals, students, and indigenous peoples to get their feedback on federalism.
The Con-com spokesman, nevertheless, cited the press conferences and presentations being covered by the media to update the public about the latest proposals and revisions of the committee.
“On a personal experience, I have gone over 18 to 22 months, forty provinces, I have spoken to audiences as small as 200 to as big as 2000,” Generoso said. “The response we get are very much different from what the surveys show.”
Lawyer Susan Ubalde-Ordinario, a member of the Con-com, said the persons they have consulted were skeptical with the idea of federalism at first, but they ended up supporting it after discussions.
“I find it very encouraging to go out and talk to these people,” Ordinario said. “While they were listening, they are skeptical, but at the end of the forum, they say ‘Oh, so that’s how it works. It can work.’”
“We now know that with a little more effort to reach out to the public, I think we will be able to really convey the message and the importance and their responsibility in this whole thing,” she also said. /kga