Scrutinize survey results on Cha-cha, public urged

MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro on Sunday urged Filipinos to be more critical of surveys regarding amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

This comes following the release of Pulse Asia’s recent survey which showed that 74 percent of Filipinos oppose any amendment to the country’s principal Charter — contrary to the results of a previous Tangere survey saying that 52 percent of respondents approve of amending the Charter.

In a statement, Castro alleged of a “concerted effort” to discredit the Pulse Asia survey.

“The assertion that nearly 90 [percent] of Filipinos are opposed to Cha-cha [Charter change] is valid, as the initial questions posed in the survey clearly indicate a binary choice regarding support or opposition to Cha-cha. This is a reflection of the strong public sentiment against any moves to change the Constitution,” she said.

Following the release of Pulse Asia survey’s results, some proponents of Cha-cha in the House of Representatives criticized the data.

House Deputy Speaker David Suarez previously said the “phrasing of the [survey] questions [which] seemed crafted to steer respondents toward a specific viewpoint on Charter amendments,” and pointed to the possibility of the survey being part of a “smear campaign” against constitutional reform.

To this, Castro said that such allegations can also be made towards the recent Tangere survey.

“Similar scrutiny should be applied to the firm Tangere, which proponents of Cha-cha rely upon. It is essential to have transparency in terms of survey methodologies, such as sampling, commissioning party, timing, concurrent events, demographic information of respondents, survey location, and other relevant data,” she pointed out.

She then called on the public to “ critically analyze the survey results and consider the broader context of Cha-cha discussions.”

Not just economic provisions

In the same statement, Castro noted that while proponents of Cha-cha say that political provisions will not be touched by the proposed amendments to the Constitution, such amendments may still be made following the convention of a Constituent Assembly.

“While some may argue that political amendments are irrelevant, it is important to acknowledge that if a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) were to convene, it would have the authority to propose and approve amendments on various matters, including political and economic aspects,” her statement read.

Potential amendments, according to Castro, may also include those provisions related to martial law safeguards, foreign bases, and armed forces.

“These issues are relevant, as they could be subjected to changes through the Cha-cha process. 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 explained.

The House of Representatives approved on the third and final reading the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, which seeks to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions of the Constitution.

RBH No. 7 and the Senate’s RBH No. 6, from which the House resolution was derived, aim to modify three sections of the 1987 Constitution, proposing to add the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to provisions on foreign ownership in public utilities, educational institutions, and advertising.