The latest survey of the Social Weather Station (SWS) on the level of public awareness on federalism issues is a challenge to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to inform Filipinos why it’s necessary to change the existing presidential system of government.

“The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is more driven to push for constitutional reform following the release of the latest Social SWS survey,” said Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, the interior department’s spokesman.

The first quarter SWS Survey for this year held from March 23 to 27 showed that one out of four or 25% of Filipino adults were aware of the federalism agenda of the government.

It also disclosed that 27% of the people in the rural provinces knew about federalism more than those in urban areas with 24% awareness level.

Mindanao has the highest awareness percentage score and also highest points for the support for federal governance.

Next to Mindanao was Metro Manila, followed by Visayas, with the balance of Luzon at third.

The DILG was designated by President Rodrigo Duterte as the lead government agency in the government’s information drive on the need to replace the country’s presidential system with a federal form of government.

On the other hand, Duterte formed a 25-man Consultative Committee (ConCom) through Executive Order No. 10 that was tasked to review the 1987 Constitution and subsequently offer amendments on it.

The ConCom is headed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

The DILG also cited “the huge turnout” of the Federalism roadshows conducted in Dumaguete City and Baguio City.

The Federalism Roadshow in Dumaguete City on June 17 was the opening salvo of the event attended by 8,000 people.

“The numbers look promising and we’ll take it as an opportunity to further accelerate our campaign for constitutional reform,” Malaya said.

A closer look at the survey, he emphasized, would reveal it was held before the Federalism Roadshow was started.

The SWS survey was a clear “sign that the time was ripe for the advocacy to accelerate,” Malaya noted.

“Let’s see how the results will fare after we’ve brought our information campaign to all 17 regions. I’m certain that not only will awareness rise, but support will also escalate,” he said.

“The survey also reveals that among those who knew about federalism, around 37% actually supported the federal shift, while only 29% were opposed to it,” said Malaya.