7 in 10 Pinoys reject Charter change

Opposition to Charter change continues to mount, especially when such amendment to the Constitution would allow President Gloria Arroyo to remain in power even after the expiration of her term next year.

Results of the 2009 second quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that “70 percent of adult Filipinos oppose amending the Constitution to allow Arroyo to continue as chief official of the Philippines after 2010.”

SWS said that opposition to a Charter change that would result in term extension has risen from 66 percent in February 2009 and 64 percent in October 2008.

The majority of the respondents, or 55 percent also believe that Arroyo is behind the current effort to amend the Constitution so that her term may be extended.

The opposition was strongest in Metro Manila with 83 percent saying no to Charter change. It increased by 11 points from 72 percent in February.

In the rest of Luzon, opposition rose by four percentage points to 70 percent from 66 percent and in the Visayas by three points to 65 percent from 62 percent.

SWS said the figures hardly changed in Mindanao to 65 percent at present from 66 percent in February.

Disapproval to the idea of amending the Constitution “stayed high in all classes,” it further said.

“It went from 69 percent to 73 percent in class ABC, from 67 percent to 73 percent in class D; and from to 64 percent to 62 percent in class E,” SWS reported, still comparing the June and February survey results.

In most areas, the majority also believe that Arroyo is behind the efforts to push Charter change—two in three, or 66 percent in Metro Manila; 56 percent in Balance of Luzon; 50 percent in the Visayas, and 48 percent in Mindanao.

In the classes ABC, 68 percent believe such allegation. The figures are also high in the other classes: 58 percent in class D and 45 percent in class E.

The latest SWS survey measuring public opinion on constitutional Amendments of term limits was conducted from June 19 to 22, using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, and 600 in the Balance of Luzon.

Margins of error are plus or minus 3-percent for national percentages, plus or minus six percent for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao, and plus or minus 4-percent for Balance Luzon.

The survey, SWS said, was not commissioned. –Rommel C. Lontayao, Manila Times