8 in 10 Pinoys want US backing amid WPS tensions—survey

Eight in 10 Filipinos believe that the administration should work with the United States amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, a recent Pulse Asia survey commissioned by international think tank Stratbase Institute showed.

Seventy-nine percent of Filipinos said they want the government to work with the United States, while almost half of Filipinos answered Australia (43 percent) and Japan (42 percent).

Only one in ten Filipinos or 10 percent of the respondents favored the Marcos administration working with China.

Pulse Asia released the survey results Tuesday during a forum organized by Stratbase entitled “Fortifying Cyber Cooperation Toward Digital Security.”

Stratbase president Dindo Manhit said the results show the need for the administration to bolster its alliance and partnerships with like-minded states like the US, Australia, and Japan.

“These countries have continued to voice their support for the Philippine position and have condemned Chinese actions against Filipino vessels. Their resounding statements of support boost the confidence of the Philippines in the international community,” Manhit said.

“In the face of asymmetric security challenges, the Philippines must leverage its relations with states with shared values and with the same commitment to defend the rules-based international order,” he said.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said the Philippines and Canada will sign a new memorandum of understanding to strengthen their military ties.

“The MOU is for increased defense cooperation between countries like the MOUs we have with other countries. Hopefully, it will be signed soon. Very soon,” he said on the sidelines of the Stratbase forum.

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman added: “We have colleagues coming from Canada this week, and we are waiting to receive a little bit of a final direction from our Ministry of National Defense but we hope to have the news to update you very soon.”

“As evidenced by the survey results, 90 percent of Filipinos are not in favor of working with China. This is only natural, as the Philippines continue to encounter aggressive and coercive acts in the West Philippine Sea. In addition to diplomatic protests, the Philippines is also exiting from China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Manhit added.

The survey also showed that the majority or 55 percent of Filipinos believe the administration can fulfill its promise of protecting the West Philippine Sea against the illegal and aggressive actions of other states.

Among the most important reasons to defend or protect the WPS listed by the respondents are as follows: to uphold the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling that affirms our rights to the WPS and promotes a rules-based international order (31 percent), to maintain our sovereign and territorial integrity (27 percent), and to protect marine resources from further destruction and prevent the abuse of such valuable resources (23 percent).

The majority of Filipinos also believe there is a need to reinforce alliances and partnerships with like-minded countries through the conduct of joint patrols and military exercises (56 percent), establishment of a stronger military presence in the West Philippine Sea by repairing the BRP Sierra Madre and conducting regular resupply missions, as well as ensuring control of the Ayungin shoal (52 percent) and improvement inter-agency cooperation among agencies involved in maritime security (52 percent).

— Vince Lopez