More Pinoys back Mindanao martial law; against Luzon, Visayas expansion

Nearly six in 10 Filipinos who are aware that President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in Mindanao backed the move, according to the second quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations, even as more of those surveyed expressed opposition to an expansion of military rule in Luzon and the Visayas.

Fifty-seven percent of those who are aware said it was the right decision to declare martial law in Mindanao, while 29 percent said that martial law should have been declared only for Marawi City and the Province of Lanao del Sur, and 11 percent said that it should have been declared only for Marawi City, the Province of Lanao del Sur, and nearby provinces.

According to the survey fielded over June 23 to 26, 92 percent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide were aware of the implementation of martial law in Mindanao.

Sixty-three percent of those who are aware opposed the idea that Duterte should also declare Martial Law in Visayas. Twenty-three percent are in favor while 13 percent were undecided.

As regards a martial law declaration in Luzon, 67 percent disagreed with the notion, 20 percent agreed and the other 13 percent were undecided.

While on a official visit to Russia, Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 after the ISIS-inspired Maute group attacked Marawi City, triggering clashes that continue to this day, countless deaths, and the displacement of thousands.

The President invoked rebellion and the threat of the spread of ISIS ideology in declaring martial and suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao.

The second quarter social weather survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao).

The area estimates were weighted by Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2017 to obtain the national estimates.

The SWS survey questions about Martial Law are non-commissioned, and were included on SWS's own initiative and released as a public service. —NB/JST, GMA News