Most Filipinos favor alliances with like-minded nations, particularly the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and South Korea, to defend the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Stratbase Group and released on Wednesday.
The survey conducted from May 3 to May 7 found that 86 percent of respondents agreed the government should defend the WPS with like-minded countries in accordance with the 2016 arbitral award which ruled that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the WPS. Only 3 percent disagreed and 11 percent were undecided.
Mindanao led the region with the highest positive sentiment (91 percent agreed and 63 percent strongly agreed) followed by Metro Manila (90 percent agreed and 64 percent strongly agreed), the Visayas (86 percent agreed and 61 percent strongly agreed), and Luzon outside Metro Manila (82 percent agreed and 48 percent strongly agreed).
Stratbase Institute president and CEO Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit said the findings showed that Filipinos want the government to firmly defend the WPS amid continued harassment by upholding the 2016 arbitral ruling, pursuing a strategy that combines principled diplomacy, credible defense, and working closely with allies and partners that uphold international law and support a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. (See related story on this page).
Respondents were also asked to pick at least five countries or organizations the Philippines should work with in defending the WPS. Based on the results, 84 percent wanted the government to work with the United States, followed by Japan (67 percent), Australia (57 percent), Canada (51 percent), and South Korea (44 percent).
Top choices
By region, Metro Manila respondents registered the highest desire to work with the United States at 86 percent, followed by Luzon outside Metro Manila and Mindanao at both 85 percent, and Visayas at 79 percent.
On the other hand, support for China appears to have been pulled upward by Mindanao where 23 percent of respondents said they wanted the government to work with Beijing to defend the WPS.
The figures for the United States and Japan were two and three percentage points higher, respectively, than their ratings in a similar Stratbase-commissioned survey conducted from Dec. 12 to Dec. 15 last year, where they got 82 percent and 64 percent, respectively.
Manhit said these results suggested that Filipinos distinguish between countries that support the country’s lawful rights in the WPS and those whose actions have contributed to tensions in the area.
The survey was conducted among 1,500 respondents nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5. The poll’s findings were made public ahead of the 128th anniversary of Philippine independence from Spanish colonial rule, and a month before the country marks the 10th anniversary of the arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea. —INQUIRER RESEARCH
The post Survey: Filipinos want gov’t to defend WPS with allies appeared first on Inquirer.net.
