Lawmakers object to survey result showing Filipinos don’t favor Cha-cha

FIX PRIORITIES  Students and other sectors on March 20 protest against the House of Representatives’ bill seeking Charter change. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Some members of the House of Representatives expressed their objections to the results of the recent Pulse Asia survey, which showed that most Filipinos believed it is not the right time to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The lawmakers said on Sunday that the survey might have used “biased and leading questions that may have influenced the results.”

They pointed out that the questions appeared “to conflate various aspects of constitutional reform, potentially leading to confusion among respondents.”

READ: Most Filipinos don’t think now is right time for Cha-cha – survey

“The wording of the questions used by Pulse Asia seemed designed to lead respondents towards a particular viewpoint on Charter amendments,” House Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon said in a statement.

Bongalon noted that Pulse Asia included proposed amendments such as “changing the unitary system to a federal system, term extension, change of the presidential system to a parliamentary system, and shift from bicameral to a unicameral legislature,” which he said were not part of the Congress’ discussions.

Based on the survey, 88 percent of respondents said the Constitution should not be amended or touched.

Only 8 percent said it should be amended now, while 4 percent remained undecided.

La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V, however, pointed out that the survey had “biased questions on allowing foreign individuals and companies to exploit Philippine natural resources.”

“The survey questions, particularly those addressing contentious issues such as term extension, foreign exploitation of natural resources, and a shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government, may have inadvertently skewed responses and fostered opposition to Cha-cha,” Ortega said.

He also stressed that the charter change efforts are focused on amending the economic provisions of the Constitution.

On the other hand, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said their proposed amendment should reflect the survey questions.

In line with this, Bongalon said survey firms, media, and the public should engage in topics like Cha-cha ” in a manner that promotes clarity and understanding.”

“It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that the public discourse on constitutional reform is transparent, inclusive and well-informed,” he added.