Seven in 10 Filipinos believe the government should form an alliance with other countries in defending the country’s territorial and economic rights in the West Philippine Sea, a Social Weather Station survey showed.
The survey, commissioned by the Stratbase ADRI Institute, also showed that the majority of Filipinos believe the government’s actions on the WPS issue – such as joint patrols and military exercises with allies, friends, and partners – are sufficient, the Stratbase ADRI Institute said on Thursday.
The Philippines launched several joint patrols in the WPS with the United States, Australia, Japan, and France since late last year in wake of China’s repetitive aggressive and coercive actions in the area.
Geopolitical expert and Stratbase ADR Institute president Dindo Manhit, for his part, underscored the need to launch more joint patrols with like-minded nations in the WPS.
He said the results of a separate Pulse Asia survey also show that 51 percent of Filipinos believe there is a need to reinforce alliance and elevate partnerships by conducting joint patrols and military exercises.
“This year, we witnessed actions – the most aggressive by far — performed against our fellow Filipinos at sea. Our troops, fisherfolk, and vessels encountered several attempts to block rotation and reprovision missions, numerous occasions of firing of water cannons, and an alarming number of collisions and near-collisions,” Manhit said.
“We call on our friends, allies, and partners, who also value the rule of law to join us in our fight, and the Philippine government to reinforce cooperation and elevate partnerships by conducting more joint patrols and military exercises in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.
The SWS survey also showed that most Filipinos believe the government is doing sufficient actions in protecting Filipino fishermen in the WPS (57 percent) and in strengthening the military capability of the Philippines, especially the Navy (56 percent).
Meanwhile, 49 percent of respondents believe that the government’s actions in demanding that China leave the artificial islands it illegally built and then occupied in the WPS are not enough.
The survey, conducted from June 23 to July 1, 2024, had 1,500 respondents nationwide.
