The Movement for Reform, Continuity and Momentum (MORE2COME), a group of citizens urging a second term for President Benigno Aquino III, on Friday played down a recent Pulse Asia survey that suggested only two of every five Filipinos favor amending the 1987 Constitution to allow him to run again.
“Ang tanong, ilan ba yung sinurvey? 1,200 lang yata. These respondents do not represent the real voters…Committed kami to gather two million signatures. Mas marami naman yun kesa sa 1,200,” said lawyer Melvin Matibag, lead convenor of MORE2COME, at a press conference held in Quezon City on Friday.
A survey conducted by Pulse Asia from September 8 to 15, showed that 62 percent or three out of five Filipinos do not want the Constitution amended to allow Aquino to run again in the 2016 elections.
“Kung kami ay magkakamali dito, e di we will submit to the people. But paano kung tama naman kami? Paano kung mas marami sa mga mamamayang Pilipino ang may gusto na tumakbo siya? (Aquino),” MORE2COME co-convenor RJ Echiverri said.
Matibag said they will then submit the signatures to Malacañang.
He said this is just part of a bigger campaign to gather eight million signatures nationwide.
“Ako ang boss mo at ang gusto ko, isa pa! One more term of Daang Matuwid, one more period to ride the momentum started by President Noynoy Aquino in the area of economics, Justice, peace, infrastructure, education, health which have advanced dramatically under his leadership,” Matibag said, reading the group’s official statement.
The group was behind a full-page paid advertisement published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday.
In the ad, the group said Aquino “is still the best and only successor” that can sustain the economic growth and political reforms initiated by the current administration.
Talks with CBCP
Matibag said, the group, composed of about 100 members, mostly coming from the law profession, are also planning to hold dialogues with some religious leaders, especially with some bishops who are opposed to charter change.
Some Catholic bishops, including Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz and Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo had earlier expressed opposition to Cha-cha.
Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Lipa, Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Davao City Bishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla, meanwhile, went as far as demanding Aquino’s resignation, saying that “he has already lost the moral right to lead the nation.”
“We will be happy to talk to the CBCP, we will be happy to go down to the provinces and talk to their parishioners para ipaliwanag ang ating adbokasiya,” Matibag said. — JDS, GMA News
