Term extension real motive behind Cha-cha
Majority of Filipinos do not favor amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution and believe that Charter change (Cha-cha) seeks to extend the President’s term in office, according to the latest IBON nationwide survey.
Of the number of respondents who are aware of current proposals for Cha-cha, 91.3% said they do not favor reforms to the Constitutional provision prohibiting foreign ownership of land. Meanwhile, 86.3% opposes the revisions allowing foreign ownership of utilities and natural resources extraction.
Amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution are among the proposals under House Resolution 737 filed by House Speaker Prospero Nograles. The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments recently voted on the resolution to convene Congress into a constituent assembly (con-ass) to hear the Nograles proposal.
The survey also shows 67.3% of Filipinos believe that the real motive behind current Cha-cha proposals is for the president to stay in power beyond 2010.
Respondents to the survey also opposed other proposed provisions to be amended. 68.8% said they are not in favor of local government autonomy through a federal system, while 69.5% opposed the shift from presidential to parliamentary system.
Asked if they were in favor of removing the provision prohibiting foreign troops, 68% said no. Meanwhile, 73.4% said they are not in favor of removing the nuclear free provision in the Charter.
The latest survey by the research group was conducted on April 17-26 among 1,496 respondents across various sectors and regions nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
Below is the tabulation of results of respondents’ perception on provisions to be amended in the 1987 Constitution.
Do you know the Arroyo administration has a proposal to amend or change the 1987 Philippine Constitution (Cha-Cha)?
| Yes | 1,028 | 68.76 | 1,081 | 72.36 | 1,226 | 81.73 | 1,097 | 73.33 |
| No | 462 | 30.90 | 406 | 27.18 | 264 | 17.60 | 391 | 26.14 |
| No Answer | 5 | 0.33 | 7 | 0.47 | 10 | 0.67 | 8 | 0.53 |
| Total | 1,495 | 100.00 | 1,494 | 100.00 | 1,500 | 100.00 | 1,496 | 100.00 |
Are you in favor of the proposal of the current administration to change the Constitution?
| Yes | 264 | 25.68 | 199 | 18.41 | 160 | 13.05 | 161 | 14.68 |
| No | 699 | 68.00 | 837 | 77.43 | 972 | 79.28 | 878 | 80.04 |
| Don’t Know | 57 | 5.54 | 42 | 3.89 | 91 | 7.42 | 57 | 5.20 |
| No Answer | 8 | 0.78 | 3 | 0.28 | 3 | 0.24 | 1 | 0.09 |
| Total | 1,028 | 100.00 | 1,081 | 100.00 | 1,226 | 100.00 | 1,097 | 100.00 |
Local government autonomy through a federal system
| Yes | 207 | 16.88 | 195 | 17.78 | ||||
| No | 706 | 57.59 | 755 | 68.82 | ||||
| Don’t Know | 302 | 24.63 | 127 | 11.58 | ||||
| No Answer | 11 | 0.90 | 20 | 1.82 | ||||
| Total | 1,226 | 100.00 | 1,097 | 100.00 |
Presidential to parliamentary system
| Yes | 246 | 20.07 | 186 | 16.96 | ||||
| No | 674 | 54.98 | 762 | 69.46 | ||||
| Don’t Know | 287 | 23.41 | 130 | 11.85 | ||||
| No answer | 19 | 1.55 | 19 | 1.73 | ||||
| Total | 1,226 | 100.00 | 1,097 | 100.00 |
Foreign ownership of land
| Yes | 70 | 5.71 | 29 | 2.64 | ||||
| No | 1,075 | 87.68 | 1,002 | 91.34 | ||||
| Don’t Know | 63 | 5.14 | 48 | 4.38 | ||||
| No Answer | 18 | 1.47 | 18 | 1.64 | ||||
| Total | 1,226 | 100.00 | 1,097 | 100.00 | ||||
Foreign ownership of utilities and natural resources extraction companies
| Yes | 90 | 7.34 | 83 | 7.57 | ||||
| No | 1,051 | 85.73 | 947 | 86.33 | ||||
| Don’t Know | 74 | 6.04 | 51 | 4.65 | ||||
| No Answer |
