SEVENTY-FIVE percent of Filipinos are in favor of strengthening military ties between the Philippines and the United States amid China’s incursions in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea.
This is based on a Pulse Asia survey conducted June 19 to 23 and shared by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri with media yesterday.
Zubiri, in an interview with radio dzBB, said the survey results showed Filipinos are “sick and tired” with China’s incursions into Philippine territory, especially at Reed Bank which is very near El Nido in Coron, Palawan.
Zubiri said he cannot understand China’s basis for claiming areas in the Philippines’ EEZ when its mainland is situated between 450 and 500 nautical miles away from the country’s baseline.
Zubiri also said he supports Resolution No. 659 filed by Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros last month calling on the Philippine government to sponsor a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly that will ask China to stop its harassment of Filipino vessels in the WPS in the South China Sea.
Zubiri said the Senate will tackle the resolution a day after Congress opens the second regular session of the 19th Congress on July 24.
“I’m sure we can get the majority vote in favor of this resolution that we will take it back up to the Hague as an opposition to what is happening right now,” Zubiri said.
Once the resolution is adopted, he said, they will provide the Philippine government, through its Department of Foreign Affairs all evidence like video footage and still photos, of cases of China’s incursion into Philippine territory.
“We will present I back to the United Nations so we can ask for a new ruling or a new decision on the continuous incursion of China in our territory,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
The Armed Forces earlier said 48 Chinese vessels were spotted in Iroquois Reef when it conducted an aerial patrol on June 30.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it will increase routine patrols in the WPS, along with the AFP, and continue to expose Chinese incursions in the international community as a way of driving Chinese vessels out of Philippine territory.
As of July 12, the AFP Western Command said the 48 Chinese vessels are still at Iroquois Reef.
The Philippines has just commemorated the seventh anniversary of victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in the Netherlands on July 12 when the arbitral court nullified the nine-dash claim of China in the South China Sea.
China has consistently said it does not recognize the ruling.The survey showed that of the 75 percent who are in favor, 86 percent were from the National Capital Region, 69 percent from Balance Luzon, 83 percent from the Visayas, and 76 were from Mindanao.
Eighty percent who are in favor belong to the social classes A, B, and C; 76 from social class D, and 70 from social class E.
On the other hand, 14 percent of the respondents were not in favor of strengthening the military alliance between the Philippines and US, of which 6 percent were from the NCR, 17 percent from Balance Luzon, 15 percent from the Visayas region, and 10 percent from Mindanao.
Twelve percent who are against came from social classes A, B, and C; 14 percent were from social class D; and 13 percent from social class E.
Two percent said “I don’t have enough knowledge to give an opinion,” while 8 percent were undecided.
The survey used face-to-face interviews based on a sample of 1,200 respondents aged 18 years and older. It has a 2.8 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.
