The percentage of Filipinos opposed to Charter change (Cha-cha) increased significantly between March 2023 and March 2024, from 31 to 74 percent, based on the Pulse Asia survey results released on Wednesday, March 27.

Pulse Asia said 74 percent of Filipinos believe that the 1987 Constitution “should not be amended now nor any other time.”

“This opinion is echoed by small to big majorities in the various areas and classes (69 percent to 82 percent and 58 percent to 80 percent, respectively),” it said in its report.

Meanwhile, 14 percent believe that the Constitution “should not be amended now, but it may be amended sometime in the future.”

Only 8 percent said it “should be amended now,” while 4 percent were unsure.

43 percent increase

Pulse Asia noted that the level of opposition to Charter change “now or at any other time” went up between March 2023 and March 2024.

“This observation holds at the national level (+43 percentage points) and in each area and class (+31 to +58 and +31 to +50 percentage points, respectively),” it said.

“In contrast, support for proposals to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution now eases in the Philippines (-33 percentage points) and across geographic and socio-economic sub-groupings (-13 to -40 and -32 to -40 percentage points, respectively),” it added.

Pulse Asia said aside from these changes, the only other marked movements during the period March 2023 to March 2024 are the decline in the percentage of those in Mindanao opposed to Charter change now but are open to it in the future (-19 percentage points) and the drop in levels of ambivalence in the national level (-10 percentage points), the rest of Luzon (-12 percentage points), and Class D (-11 percentage points).

Most Filipinos ‘not in favor’ of 10 proposed Constitutional amendments

Pulse Asia also pointed out that “considerable to big majorities” are opposed to 10 selected proposed changes to the 1987 Constitution.

These are allowing foreigners to own schools or universities (68 percent); lifting the prohibition on foreign ownership of communications (71 percent); changing the presidential system of government to a parliamentary one (71 percent); allowing foreign individuals and companies to have foreign equity in mass media and advertising (71 percent); changing the present unitary system of government to a federal system (71 percent); extending the terms of office for national and local elective officials (73 percent); shifting from a bicameral to a unicameral legislature (74 percent); removing limits on shares of stocks in Philippine corporations that may be owned by foreign individuals and companies (78 percent); allowing foreign individuals and companies to own residential and industrial lands (81 percent); and allowing foreign individuals and companies to utilize Philippine natural resources (86 percent).

A comparative data for the period March 2023 to March 2024 were also made available for seven Charter change proposals probed in the Pulse Asia survey.

Findings show that opposition to all these proposals become more notable during this time and consequently support for the same proposals eased: allowing foreign individuals and companies to own residential and industrial lands (+9 and -6 percentage points, respectively); allowing foreign individuals and companies to utilize the country’s natural resources (+10 and -9 percentage points, respectively); removing limits on shares of stocks in Philippine corporations that may be owned by foreign entities (+11 and -8 percentage points, respectively); allowing foreign individuals and companies to have foreign equity in mass media and advertising (+14 and -6 percentage points, respectively); extending the terms of office of national and local elective officials (+17 and -13 percentage points, respectively); lifting the prohibition on foreign ownership of communications (+18 and -10 percentage points, respectively); and changing the unitary system of government to a federal one (+29 and -20 percentage points, respectively).

Pulse Asia added that the percentages of those who cannot say if they are in favor or not in favor of the Charter change proposals declined from March 2023 to March 2024: lifting the prohibitions on foreign ownership of communications (-8 percentage points); allowing foreign individuals and companies to have foreign equity in mass media and advertising (-8 percentage points); and changing the unitary system of government to a federal system (-10 percentage points).

67% of Filipinos aware of Cha-cha efforts through people’s initiative

In the same survey period, Pulse Asia found that 67 percent of Filipinos are aware of efforts to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution through the people’s initiative mode.

Meanwhile, 93 percent said they have not been given the people’s initiative petition and among those who have received such petition, most did not affix their signature to the document (76 percent).

“Prior knowledge of charter change proposals via the people’s initiative route is reported by most Filipino adults at the national level (67 percent) and across areas and classes (61 percent to 84 percent and 58 percent to 77 percent, respectively),” it said.

“Only 7 percent of adults say they were given the people’s initiative petition to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Single-digit figures are recorded in all areas and most classes (2 percent to 9 percent and 6 percent, respectively), with Class ABC being the exception (12 percent),” it added.

Pulse Asia pointed out that among the few who were given the Charter change petition, 24 percent signed the document.

“Across areas and classes, a big majority of Metro Manilans (77 percent) signed the people’s initiative petition, while sizeable to huge majorities in the other areas and every class did the opposite (67 percent to 93 percent and 75 percent to 79 percent, respectively),” it said.

“A small majority of those who affixed their signature to the petition (55 percent) say they did not receive a token for signing the document. The same is reported by most, if not all, of those in the rest of Luzon (53 percent), the Visayas (70 percent), Mindanao (100 percent), and Class D (61 percent) who signed the petition,” it added.

Meanwhile, Pulse Asia found that most signatories in Metro Manila (68 percent), Class ABC (51 percent), and Class E (71 percent) were given an incentive.

The “Ulat ng Bayan” survey was conducted from March 6 to 10, with 1,200 respondents nationwide.