SWS: Most Filipinos back gov't on Spratlys
| |||||
MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino government has the support of most Filipinos on how it is handling the country's dispute with China over territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a nationwide survey showed.
The survey, commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), asked it 4 questions to gauge people's awareness about issues surrounding the Philippine-China dispute. It was conducted by the Social Weather Stations Dec 11-16, 2013, with a sample size of 1,550. The margin of error is at +/-3%. The results were released by the DFA on Monday, February 10,
A big majority of respondents – 73% – are aware of the territorial dispute that the Philippines has with China over a group of islands called the Spratlys (locally known as Kalayaan). The rest said they only heard about the dispute during the survey.
When sorted by geographic location, the numbers are consistent: 78% for Metro Manila, 74% for the rest of Luzon, 70% in the Visayas, and 72% in Mindanao.
A big majority (68%) are also aware of the possible oil and gas deposits in the disputed area, while 61% know that the Philippines brought the case for resolution before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) (61%), the survey said.
Awareness of the issues is highest in Metro Manila: 65% in the ITLOS case, and 72% in the possible for natural resources.
A majority are also aware of the measures China is doing in the sea, particularly its strengthening of military forces (56%), the SWS said. Again, Metro Manila residents have the highest awareness of the issue at 65%.
Most Filipinos agree with the government's filing of the case before the ITLOS: for the entire survey pool, 82% agree with the move, while 8% disagree. The remaining 8% are undecided.
Majority are also in agreement that the Philippines should ask the help of other countries to keep China's military actions in check: 80% of the respondents nationwide agree to an extent.
The survey also revealed that almost all the respondents – 93% – of respondents agree that the country should defend its territory and natural resources in the West Philippine Sea "through lawful means."
"The overwhelming support of the Filipino people for the arbitration case and our rules-based approach to the West Philippine Sea dispute proves that taking a principled stance, one that is based on respecting the rule of law and pursuing peaceful settlement of disputes, strongly resonates with the Filipino people," DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said.
Among the top issues in the headlines during the survey period were the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda and the Central Visayas earthquake; the pork barrel scam; Megan Young's victory in the Miss World pageant; and Manny Pacquiao's win over Brandon Rios. – Rappler.com
Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
Rappler's coverage of Typhoon Yolanda continues as we track the long road to recovery for typhoon-affected areas and keep tabs of the government's rehabilitation plans. Visitrappler.com/typhoon-yolanda for the latest updates.
 |
Are you weather-proof?
Check out Rappler's #WeatherAlert for latest weather forecast wherever you are in the Philippines!
|
"...the country should defend its territory and natural resources in the West Philippine Sea "through lawful means." It is very unfortunate that this seems to be the only viable option that we have. This is why most respondents agree with the statement. If you stop and think for a while you'll realize, at least in theory, that it is any country's right to defend its own territory and natural resources by "ANY" means. Nevertheless, we're glad that most Filipinos are united on the issue.
The problem though is that China is just simply ignoring the ITLOS. If China is unwilling to cooperate, what will the ITLOS do? What will we do if the ITLOS fails to make China abide by the agreement in which itself is a part of?
The provocative nature of PNOY's recent statements was an attempt to sound the alarm and get the attention of other nations regarding China's ambitious attitude. Let's hope that the world will look beyond what they perceive to be negative about the statements and pay attention to the very point that our president is trying to make which is, "you must help otherwise you too will pay a price for your negligence."
it's the Filipino Spirit that keeps us winning... Faith is our strongest armor. China??? well, where the hell is that country coming from? HAHAHA
That only shows that we have a good and sensible president ever since.
There was a poll n TFC Balitang America, 2 night ago. 92% of Filipino-Americans are with Aquino, while 8% aren't.
The Social Good Summit is an annual, global event that brings together movers and shakers to discuss how technology and social media can be used for social good. For 2013, the summit focused on how to use social media to help prepare for, respond to and minimize the impact of disasters. Listed below are key content from the summit:
Speakers at the Summit
What is Project Agos?
Video Reports from the Summit
Social Good Summit in New York
|
Ex-SC justice Serafin Cuevas dies
(UPDATED) Cuevas, 85, was a former SC associate justice and justice secretary, and was lead defense...
Ruby Tuason to back pork whistleblowers
(3rd UPDATE) Tuason's lawyer Dennis Manalo says Tuason will 'corroborate' the testimony of pork...
No comments:
Post a Comment