Voice of the ‘bosses?’ 6 in 10 Filipinos reject Aquino term extension—survey

President Benigno S. Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/EDWIN BACASMAS

MANILA, Philippines—Six out of 10 Filipinos or 62 percent do not want a second term for President Benigno Aquino III should the 1987 Constitution be amended, according to a Pulse Asia survey released Thursday.

The Pulse Asia “Ulat ng Bayan” survey, which was conducted from Sept. 8 to 15, stated that the sentiment opposing the proposed term extension of Aquino is reflected among all economic classes and geographic areas surveyed.

Only four out of 10 Filipinos or 38 percent favor a second term for Aquino beyond 2016.

Several campaigns in print and online media have come out to push for Aquino’s re-election or his term extension. He, however, has refused to categorically say if he is going to seek it or not, saying that he would listen to the voice of his “bosses” or his constituents.

No to Cha-cha

The survey also revealed that a sizeable majority of Filipinos do not want the 1987 Constitution to be amended in order to clip the powers of the Supreme Court and to permit foreign corporations to own residential and industrial lands in the country.

Seven out of 10 Filipinos or 70 percent are not in favor of amending the Constitution to limit the high court’s power of judicial review for decisions of the executive branch.

On the other hand, the survey also revealed that eight out of 10 Filipinos or 85 percent oppose amendments to the Constitution to permit foreign ownership of lands in the Philippines, with 89 percent of the respondents from the National Capital Region posting the highest percentage against the proposal.

In an interview in August, Aquino said that he was open to amend the constitution to check the power of the Supreme Court.

“Before all of these happened, I admit I had a closed mind. But now I realized that there is judicial reach. Congress and the executive may act but they can be punished anytime,” Aquino said in a TV interview.

Pulse Asia identified various events which occurred during the period the survey was conducted: The ongoing Senate probe on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II; the junking of three impeachment complaints against Aquino by the House Committee on Justice; Aquino’s request for emergency powers to address the impending power crisis next year was addressed by Congress; the transmittal of the Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress; and Aquino’s expression of continued trust to Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima despite calls for his resignation due to increasing number of crimes involving policemen.

It also clarified that its Ulat ng Bayan surveys were not commissioned by any singular party. It also said that “no religious, political, economic, or partisan group” influenced the conduct of its survey.

1200 respondents nationwide were asked for the survey.

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