43% of Pinoys want PH to align with US in SCS dispute —survey

At least 43% of Filipinos are in favor of the Philippines aligning with the US in the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea (SCS), results from a survey of the Oculum Research and Analytics showed. 

Around 3,000 Filipino adults participated in the survey conducted from Feb. 21 to Feb. 29, 2024,  through face-to-face interviews. It has a sampling error margin of ± 2 and a high confidence level of 97%. 

According to the poll, only 3% of the respondents said the Philippines should align with China in the territorial dispute. A total of 40% prefer other countries aside from the US and Beijing and 15% said they were unsure. 

“The survey results regarding the preferred alignment of the Philippines in the context of the South China Sea dispute offer a revealing glimpse into public opinion on this significant international issue,” Dr. Joseph Mercado, Oculum Research and Analytics chief statistician said.

Further, the survey showed the US is the most trusted country for Filipinos garnering a 75% trust rating among respondents. It was followed by Canada with 69%; Australia, 65%; Japan, 59%; and the UK with 58%.

China received the lowest trust rating of 17% and the highest distrust rating of 38%. The US received a distrust rating of 2%. 

“The low level of trust in China and a relatively high level of distrust could be attributed to geopolitical tensions, economic competition, territorial disputes, or concerns over political and human rights issues,” said Mercado. 

China

Tensions between China and the Philippines have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a series of incidents in the WPS.

China claims most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia. 

The July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling issued by an international tribunal upheld the Philippines' 200 nautical mile Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ), outlawed Chinese aggression in the common fishing ground of Scarborough Shoal, and rejected China’s expansive nine-dash-line claim of the entire South China Sea. —LDF, GMA Integrated News