Most Pinoys want military action, diplomacy approaches in WPS dispute

West Philippine Sea (WPS) (Photo: Western Command Armed Forces of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – A large majority of adult Filipinos want the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to assert the Philippines’ territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) through military action, while diplomacy came in at a close second, the findings of a survey conducted by OCTA Research showed.

According to the results of the Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey conducted on March 11 to 14 and released on Wednesday, about 73 percent of the respondents said the current administration should prioritize handling issues at the WPS through military action, which includes expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the disputed areas.

The March 2024 figure is a one-percentage point increase from the 72 percent recorded in the survey conducted in December 2023.

Metro Manila had the highest percentage of Filipinos (85 percent) who prefer addressing the issues related to the conflict in the WPS through military action.

It was followed by Mindanao with 72 percent, Balance Luzon with 71 percent, and the Visayas with 70 percent.

The poll also found that diplomacy and other peaceful methods came in at a close second as a preferred approach for effectively addressing the WPS issue with a 72 percent approval, which is a 2-percent increase from December 2023’s 70 percent.

Metro Manila has the largest percentage of Filipinos supporting diplomacy to assert the Philippines’ territorial rights in the WPS, with 78 percent, while Balance Luzon has the lowest number, with 70 percent.

“It must be noted that this is the second time ‘asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action’ as a priority measure overtakes the top-ranked measure in previous TNM surveys, which is ‘asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through diplomacy and other peaceful methods,'” OCTA said.

OCTA said other preferred measures are conducting joint maritime patrol and exercises with allied countries, with 43 percent, and expanding diplomatic efforts with the countries within and outside of the region to reduce tension in the area, with 32 percent.

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.