Bacolod Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th district) yesterday said the Pulse Asia survey showing that the majority of Filipinos do not favor a Malacañang-backed shift to a federal-parliamentary form of government is not reflective of the sentiments of Negrenses.

To get a people's initiative off the ground signatures of 12 percent or 4.8 million of Filipino voters, with not less than 3 percent in any congressional district throughout the Philippines are needed.

Initial figures from Rep. Arroyo's office showed that 27 percent of the voting population have signed the people's initiative for Charter change in the first district of Negros Occidental, 18 percent in the second district, 20 percent for the third district, 24 percent for the fourth district, 30 percent for the fifth district and 18 percent in the sixth district, with the lowest percentage in Bacolod City at 6 percent.

However, the signatures have yet to be subjected to verification by the Commission on Elections.

The signatures from Bacolod City voters have yet to be submitted to the COMELEC.

Rep. Arroyo said Metro Manila is not a gauge of how people feel about Charter change in the provinces, where more people support the move.

This developed as the Negros Movement for Moral Regeneration convenor Rodolfo Parreño announced that their group is launching an information campaign against the Malacañang-initiated Charter change in Negros Occidental.

The campaign will be launched with a caravan around Bacolod City, Felipe Levy Gelle, a NMMR convenor and secretary general of Bayan Negros, said.

We will seek the help of parishes, schools, barangay residents, he said.

Valladolid Mayor Ricardo Presbitero yesterday said the Charter change train of Arroyo has not taken off, contrary to the claims of the administration, and the president should get off now.

We don't think the train is moving fast enough to reach its destination on time because the common tao, the ones who are educated and informed, do not favor the soc-called people's initiative for Charter change. They believe the more pressing issue is Arroyo's leadership, Presbitero said.

At the Libertad Market Tuesday afternoon a market buyer said vendors and consumers were being asked to sign a people's initiative petition. The people were being told that if they sign there will be no election next year, the buyer said.

About two out of three Filipinos do not favor shift to a federal-parliamentary form of government, according to a Pulse Asia survey released yesterday said.

The study, conducted from February 18 to March 4, showed that 54 percent of Filipinos were not in favor of changing the current presidential form of government to a parliamentary system. Only 33 percent are in favor and 13 percent are undecided, the same survey said, according to an ABS-CBN Manila report.

The survey also showed that 55 percent of Filipinos were not in favor of shifting to the federal form of government from the current unitary system. Only 32 percent favored the change while 13 percent were undecided, the ABS-CBN report added.

The nationwide survey covered 1,200 respondents 18 years old and above. It has a margin of error of +/-3 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent, Pulse Asia said.*CPG

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