MANILA, Philippines — Modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ranked ahead of strengthening military partnerships and forging new defense agreements as Filipinos’ top choice for defending the country’s rights in its seas, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The survey, commissioned by the Stratbase Institute and conducted from June 20 to 29, found that 45 percent of respondents identified AFP and PCG modernization as their first choice among the measures the Philippines should continue to implement to defend the country’s rights in its seas.
By comparison, 33 percent chose to reinforce alliances through maritime cooperative activities and military exercises with allies, friends, and partners, while 22 percent favored establishing defense and security agreements with like-minded countries.
The poll was conducted after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he was pushing to raise defense spending to as much as 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities and better protect its maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.
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Support for AFP and PCG modernization as a first choice was highest in Luzon, with 47 percent of respondents selecting this option. It was followed by the National Capital Region at 46 percent, the Visayas at 44 percent and Mindanao at 39 percent.
When asked to identify their second choice, respondents most frequently selected reinforcing alliances, with 39 percent choosing the option nationwide. Establishing defense and security agreements followed at 31 percent, while 30 percent selected AFP and PCG modernization.
Support for alliances as a second choice was highest in the National Capital Region and the Visayas, with 41 percent of respondents selecting this option. Mindanao recorded the highest share of respondents who ranked AFP and PCG modernization as their second choice, at 34 percent.
Stratbase Institute president Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit said the results showed Filipinos viewed stronger defense capabilities and closer cooperation with allies as complementary measures in protecting the country’s maritime rights.
“The Filipino people understand that defending our maritime rights requires more than legal victories. It requires credible capabilities, resilient institutions, and sustained investment in the Armed Forces and the Philippine Coast Guard,” Manhit said in a statement.
The survey interviewed 1,200 adults nationwide through face-to-face interviews from June 20 to 29.
It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for national estimates and plus or minus 6 percentage points each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, at the 95 percent confidence level. /das
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