Majority of Filipinos believe that the Philippines’ relationship with its long-time ally, the United States, is more important than that with China, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Saturday.
The poll conducted from September 27 to 30 among 1,800 Filipino adults nationwide showed that 78 percent of the respondents valued the Philippines’ ties with the US than with China while only 12 percent said they thought the country’s relationship with China was more important.
On the other hand, 5 percent said the country’s relationship with both the US and China were equally important and four percent did not have an answer.
As of September 2019, China’s trust rating among Filipinos was ranked “bad,” with 54 percent of Filipinos saying they have “little trust” in China, 21 have “much trust” and 23 percent were undecided.
Meanwhile, the US got a +72 “excellent” trust rating among Filipinos, with 80 percent of respondents saying they have “much trust,” eight percent have “little trust” and 11 percent were undecided.
In the same survey, the SWS said those with “little trust” in China valued the Philippines’ relationship with the US more than with China.
Among those with little trust in China, 84 percent believed that the country’s relationship with the US was more important than with China, higher than the 75 percent who said so among those who were undecided about their trust in China, and the 69 percent among those with much trust in China.
At the same time, the proportion of those who said the Philippines’ relationship with the US was more important than its relationship with China was 84 percent among those with much trust in the US, higher than the 57 percent who said so among those who were undecided about their trust in the US, and the 55 percent among those with little trust in the US.
On the other hand, among those with much trust in China, 67 percent said it was possible for the Philippines to have a good relationship with both China and the US at the same time, higher than the 49 percent who said so among those who were undecided about their trust in China, and the 48 percent among those with little trust in China.
“The proportion of those who believe that the Philippines can have a good relationship with both China and the US hardly vary at 53 percent among those with much trust in the US, and at 50 percent among those who are undecided about their trust in the US,” the SWS said.
“However, it is slightly lower at 45 percent among those with little trust in the US,” the polling firm added.
The proportion of those who consider the Philippines’ relationship with the US to be more important than its relationship with China is highest in Balance Luzon at 83 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 79 percent, the Visayas at 77 percent and Mindanao at 67 percent.
The SWS survey also found that more than half of the respondents, or 52 percent, believe that it was possible for the Philippines to have a good relationship with both China and US at the same time.
On the other hand, 41 percent said it was not possible while seven percent did not have an answer.
The proportion of those who believe that the Philippines can have a good relationship with both China and the US at the same time is highest in Mindanao at 53 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 52 percent, Balance Luzon at 52 percent and the Visayas at 48 percent.
The September survey, conducted using face-to-face interviews, had sampling error margins of ±2.3 percent for national percentages, ±4 percent each for Balance Luzon and Mindanao and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila and the Visayas.
Malacañang earlier said Filipinos would eventually appreciate China because of the benefits of improved ties between Manila and Beijing.
“The results of the survey… are foreseeable and understandable, given the conflicting positions of China and our country relative to the West Philippine Sea,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
“It is in our belief, however, that China, like any other country, will be eventually appreciated by the Filipinos by reason of the President’s independent foreign policy, which has resulted in significant benefits favorable to the Philippines,” he added.
Since assuming the presidency, President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to downplay Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing in exchange for improved ties with the world’s second largest economy.
Duterte has also refused to flaunt the Philippines’ victory against China in a United Nations-backed arbitration court in 2016 that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims to the waters
But the President defended his approach, saying Manila cannot yet stand up to Beijing, whose military and economy are far superior.
The Philippines claims parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone and calls it the West Philippine Sea.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/12/08/news/headlines/pinoys-value-ties-with-us-over-china-sws/662505/