Solons on Filipinos not being pro-Cha-cha: Focus on food prices, salaries

HIGH PRICES Consumers buy fruits and vegetables at a market in Quiapo, Manila. These food staples have become more expensive, driving up the country’s inflation. (File photo from RICHARD A. REYES)

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the House of Representatives’ Makabayan bloc believe the Pulse Asia survey showing that many Filipinos are against constitutional amendments should be enough to stop Charter change proposals.

In a statement on Wednesday, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said with almost 90 percent of Pulse Asia’s respondents opposing Charter change, the government should just spend more time and resources in addressing pressing problems.

“Sa pamamagitan ng survey na ito ay ipinapakita na halos 90% ng mga Filipino ay ayaw at laban sa Charter change, kaya dapat itigil na ang charter change at ituon ng gobyerno ang oras at resources nito sa pressing problems ng mga Filipino,” Castro said.

(Through this survey, it shows that almost 90% of Filipinos do not want and are against Charter change. That’s why this Charter change should be stopped and the government just put its time and resources into the pressing problems of the Filipino people.)

READ: Pulse Asia: Most Filipinos don’t think now is the right time for Cha-cha 

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, meanwhile, said the survey only proves that Charter change is not the answer to people’s basic problems like high prices of goods and low salaries.

“Pinapatunayan din nitong survey na hindi naman talaga nakikita ng mga kababayan natin na Chacha ang solusyon sa mataas na presyo ng mga bilihin, mababang sahod at kahirapan sa bansa,” Manuel said.

(This survey only proves that our fellow Filipinos do not see Charter change as a solution to high prices of goods, low salaries, and widespread poverty.)

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“Kaya gumising na si Budol King Marcos Jr. at ang mga kaalyado niya. Tigilan na nila ang pagmanipula sa opinyon ng publiko. Tigilan na nila ang isa na namang pambubudol sa porma ng Chacha,” he said.

(That’s why Marcos Jr. and his allies should wake up and stop manipulating the opinion of the people. They should stop confusing the people in the guise of Charter change.)

Earlier, Pulse Asia said surveys conducted from March 6 to 10 showed that 72 percent of the respondents have been aware about Charter change proposals when they were questioned by the polling firm.

Only 28 percent of them said that they only heard about it during the survey proper.

While this number is higher than what surveys a year ago showed, only eight percent of the same respondents believe that the 1987 Constitution should be amended now, while a staggering 88 percent said it should not be touched.