Nearly half of Filipinos agree with suit filed by Del Rosario, Carpio vs China: SWS

April 19, 2019

Around 49 percent of Filipinos agreed the suit filed by former Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario and ex-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales against the Chinese government shows that China should leave the islands it has occupied in the West Philippine Sea.

According to the Social Weather Stations survey released Wednesday, 27 percent strongly agrees on the action taken while 22 percent somewhat agrees, 28 percent are undecided and 10 percent somewhat disagree.

“This gives a net agreement score of +32, classified by SWS as very strong,” it said.

Regardless whether the public trust China, the net agreement is very strong +34. It was highest in Metro Manila at +43 followed by Balance Luzon's +39, Mindanao at +23, and Visayas +18.

According to income class, responses at class ABC were +42 and it was highest among college graduates with +45.

The survey was conducted last March 28-31, 2019 using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide with 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Malacanang earlier said they were not “shelving” the arbitral ruling won by the Philippines at the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.

“The Palace reiterates that there was no shelving of the arbitral ruling. Our position has been consistent in that there is no system of enforcing the arbitral ruling. The International Tribunal has no armed component to enforce its decision in the event that the losing state refuses to recognise the judgment,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“Any armed enforcement of the arbitral ruling could provoke bloody hostilities between the two countries. Bilateral negotiations to resolve the conflicting claims is the better and circumspect option than unnecessarily risking the lives of our soldiers,” he said.

Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte’s previous statements that he would not in the meantime raise the issue of the arbitral ruling as he discusses trade relations does not mean he is shelving the decision.

“The President believes, and rightly so, that the best way to resolve this maritime dispute is through peaceful and diplomatic negotiations with China, a mode that avoids a violent confrontation to resolve international disputes,” said Panelo.

“Adopting such universally accepted dispute resolution relative to the present conflict is not an act of weakness nor is it deemed to be abandonment or shelving of the arbitration ruling in our favour,” he added. Ella Dionisio/DMS