SURVEY: PH SHOULD ASSERT RIGHTS OVER DISPUTED SEA
Pulse Asia also says Pinoys trust US more than they do China
Eight out of 10 Filipinos believe that the Duterte administration, which has shown partiality toward China, should take a firm stand and assert the Philippines’s sovereign rights over the disputed West Philippine Sea, results of a Pulse Asia survey showed.
The survey, conducted on December 6 to 11 last year, showed that 84 percent of 1,200 respon- dents “agreed” that the Philippine government should assert its rights over the disputed islands on the ground of the final ruling of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Only three percent “disagreed” while 12 percent were ambivalent on the matter.
Majority of the respondents who agreed came from Manila (92 percent), followed by Mindanao (87 percent), Luzon (83 percent), and Visayas (77 percent).
In terms of socioeconomic classes, 85 percent in Class D believes it is necessary for the country to assrt its rights.
Even though the international tribunal invalidated China’s claim to most maritime features of the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine government sought to resolve the territorial row through diplomatic dialogue.
Malacañang has said the Philippines is committed to dealing with China “to find mutually acceptable arrangements.”
The respondents were asked if “the Philippine government should assert its rights on the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.”
Pulse Asia also reported that most Filipinos trust the United States more than China despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against the US.
Survey results showed that 76 percent, or 7 out of 10 respondents, trust the US. Twenty-four percent have a “great deal of trust” while 52 percent have a “fair amount of trust.”
Pulse Asia said only 23 per- cent of the 1,200 respondents do not trust the US, 21 percent of which have “not too much trust”, while two percent have “no trust at all.” One percent was undecided whether they trust America or not.
Duterte castigated the global superpower after then President Barack Obama criticized him over his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. He has also repeatedly challenged the US to withdraw its development assistance to the Philippines, saying his administration could rely on China and Russia.
The Pulse Asia survey, however, showed that Filipinos trust China and Russia the least.
Only 38 percent of the respondents said they trust China. The same number gave Russia the thumbs up.
Seven percent have a “great deal of trust” with China while 30 percent have a “fair amount of trust.”
The survey found that 61 percent had no trust in China, with 39 percent having “not too much trust” and 22 percent having “no trust at all.”
On the other hand, five percent of the respondents have a “great deal of trust” in Russia, while 33 percent have a “fair amount of trust.”
Fifty-eight percent do not trust Russia. Pulse Asia said 44 percent said they have “not too much trust,” while 17 percent have “no trust at all.”