One of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s main campaign promises was to turn the Philippines into a federal form of government. Two years after the elections, it’s still one of his favorite talking points. But as excited as his administration is about it, a survey revealed today that most Filipinos don’t even know what the federal system is.
Local social research institution Social Weather Stations (SWS) surveyed 1,200 adults across Metro Manila and the major islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It found that among those surveyed, only 25 percent were familiar with federalism. The remaining 75 percent only learned about it during the survey.
Makes one wonder: What other Duterte promises do people not actually understand?
People were also neutral on their feelings about the proposed charter change, with many undecided on the matter. 37 percent agreed with the federal system, 29 percent disagreed, and 34 percent were undecided.
The Philippine government has long been criticized for only developing the capital Manila, which is found in Luzon.
Under a federal system, local state governments will ideally be given more power especially in developing programs and projects appropriate for the area.
Duterte hails from Davao, located in Mindanao and for him and his supporters, federalism will solve regional inequality.
This could explain why in the SWS survey, Mindanao had the most number of people who are pro-federalism.
59 percent of those surveyed in Mindanao support the shift to federalism. In Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon, only 38 percent and 27 percent support it, respectively. In the Visayas, 32 percent of those surveyed in the area are in agreement.
Awareness was also highest among Muslims — who mostly reside in Mindanao — as compared to other religions.
