FACT CHECK: ‘Sizeable majority’ of Filipinos currently not in favor of federalism

Claim: The blogsite resurgent.ph claims that majority of Filipinos are “actually in favor of changing the present system of government to a federal system.” 

Published on Friday, May 4, the story cited numbers to back its claim – stating that 57% of Filipinos are open to federalism. It also tried to put media in a bad light by saying news reports surrounding the recent Pulse Asia survey results were wrong. 

The figures in this story are very different from what are clearly stated in the Pulse Asia chart resurgent.ph embedded in its story.

The story has been viewed 10,000 times and has been shared more than 500 times on Facebook, according to statistics shown on the page.

RATING: FALSE

The facts: The real Pulse Asia survey results released on Wednesday, May 2, explicitly shows that “a sizable majority” – 66% – are currently against changing the present unitary system of government to a federal system. 

“The prevailing sentiment among Filipinos is one of opposition to replacing the present unitary system of government with a federal one (66%),” Pulse Asia said in its press release. 

In fact, all geographic locations registered strong opposition: Balance of Luzon (75%), Mindanao (65%), the Visayas (60%), and the National Capital Region (54%). (READ: Will federalism address PH woes? Pros and cons of making the shift)

Only 27% of Filipinos are in favor of federalism while 6% are ambivalent. 

Aside from this, the survey results also show that 64% of Filipinos also oppose amending the 1987 Philippines Constitution.

The shift to a federal form of government is one of the key promises of President Rodrigo Duterte during his campaign. 

Reacting to the poll findings, Malacañang said that the government should work harder to disseminate information on the need for constitutional amendments.

The charter change Consultative Committee (Con-Com) tasked to “study, conduct consultations, and review the provisions of the 1987 Constitution,” meanwhile, said that it expects more Filipinos to support charter change once it presents its final proposals to the public. – Jodesz Gavilan / Rappler.com