South China Sea: survey shows 73% of Filipinos support military action against Beijing

Analysts said it was the first time military action was favoured over diplomacy as a potential solution to the territorial dispute

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Philippine marines fold their national flag during a flag retreat at the BRP Sierra Madre, a marooned transport ship in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:19pm, 10 Jun 2024Updated: 7:24pm, 10 Jun 2024

A new survey indicates an overwhelming majority of Filipinos support both military action and diplomacy to counter China’s perceived threat in the South China Sea, which analysts say reflects growing public support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s increasingly assertive stance on the territorial dispute.

The survey – conducted in March as part of a series by private pollster Octa Research tracking Filipino attitudes on the South China Sea dispute since 2021 – showed that 73 per cent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide favoured “further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action, such as expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the West Philippine Sea”.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the portion of the South China Sea that Manila asserts as its maritime territory, which consists of its 12 nautical mile territorial sea, its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, as well as the Kalayaan Island Group located outside the zone that includes Pag-Asa Island.

However, resorting to diplomacy was a close second to military action in the survey, according to Ranjit Rye, the president of Octa Research.

Chinese coastguard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah on May 4 as it made its way to the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

While presenting the survey’s results on Thursday during a forum held by local think tank Stratbase ADR in Manila, Rye noted that those who favoured “diplomacy and other peaceful methods” was 72 per cent, just one point behind those who said they supported military action.