MANILA, Philippines – Several months before President Aquino acknowledged that he is open to a term extension, a survey showed that nearly half of all Filipinos favor amending economic provisions in the Constitution.

Pollster Pulse Asia said the survey on Charter change, taken from March 19 to 26 involving 1,200 respondents nationwide, showed that 44 percent agreed to Charter change with reference to the House of Representatives’ Resolution 1, authored by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., which seeks to allow foreigners to become majority owners of properties or businesses in the country.

Nineteen percent disagreed with amending the 1987 Constitution while 36 percent were undecided.

Out of the 44 percent willing to open up the country to foreign ownership of lands and business establishments, 58 percent were from National Capital Region (NCR), 45 percent from the rest of Luzon, 41 percent from Visayas and 28 percent from Mindanao.

The survey, a copy of which was recently obtained by The STAR, indicated that out of the 19 percent opposed to Charter change, 14 percent of them were from NCR, 16 from Luzon, 20 from Visayas and 35 percent from Mindanao.

Sixty-one percent of the respondents said they heard “only now” of the Belmonte resolution, which will pass through the usual legislation or will be a piecemeal amendment to the Charter while 39 percent were already aware of it.

Once this Belmonte-led measure is passed, Congress could then make laws that will remove restrictions on foreigners owning land or establishing businesses where they can be the majority stockholders.

Meantime, Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. claimed yesterday that while a good number of citizens have opposed the idea of President Aquino seeking another six-year term, there are also an equal number of persons who are open to the suggestion.

Coloma told state-run radio dzRB that while there are people opposing term extension of Aquino, there are also supporters based on social media monitoring through the official website of the President.