2nd term for Aquino? No thanks, say 6 in 10 Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines – A second term for President Benigno Aquino III? A majority of Filipinos say “no thanks,” according to results of a survey released Thursday, October 2.

Around 6 in 10 Filipinos are not in favor of a second term for Aquino, if ever the 1987 Constitution gets amended and allows him to run again, Pulse Asia said in its September 2014 “Ulat ng Bayan” survey, released Thursday.

Overall, 62% of those surveyed say they do not favor a second term for the President, with the sentiment highest in Luzon (71%), followed by Metro Manila (67%), Mindanao (52%), and Visayas (50%).

Among socio-economic classes, opposition to a second term was highest among those in Class E (65%), followed by ABC (63%) and D (61%).

The question was asked as part of Pulse Asia’s survey about charter change, where a majority of Filipinos said they are not in favor of tinkering with the country’s fundamental law at this time.

Pulse Asia’s survey said a “sizeable majority” of Filipinos (62%) surveyed oppose cha-cha.

The same survey also revealed an alarming majority of Filipinos admit knowing little or nothing about the Constitution, despite saying they are aware of the issue on cha-cha.

Mixed signals

In the past weeks, the President has been giving mixed signals on the issue of charter change, as well as a second term in office.

In an interview with TV5 in August, Aquino surprised the public when he suddenly reversed his long-standing opposition to amending the Constitution, and said he is open to a second term – something banned under the present charter.

Two weeks later, he said he envisions himself stepping down in 2016, but that he will listen to what his “bosses” – the public – want.

Reactions to his pronouncements were mixed, while a flurry of statements from the Palace and his allies further muddled the issue. (READ: Palace: Info from the ground led to Aquino change of heart; Palace: Aquino not aspiring for second term and LP has no stand on second term for Aquino – Drilon) 

The Ulat ng Bayan survey, Pulse Asia said, was conducted from September 8-15, via face-to-face interviews, based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above.

During the time of the survey, some of the major news stories in the country were the Makati parking building controversy; the junking of the impeachment complaint against President Benigno Aquino III; the foiled “bombing attempt” at the NAIA terminal 3; and the confirmation of Gen Gregorio Pio Catapang as AFP chief of staff.

Pulse Asia said the survey has an error margin of +/-3%, at 95% confidence level, while the error margin for the geographic areas stand at +/-6%, at 95% confidence level.

“No religious, political, economic, or partisan group influenced any of these processes,” the survey firm said. – Rappler.com