MANILA — A significant majority of Filipinos view China as the foremost potential danger to the Philippines and support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s stance of not capitulating to the dominant force in Asia, despite its provocative maneuvers in the contested South China Sea, according to the most recent poll conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia.
In the Pahayag 2023 First Quarter survey, the bulk of Filipinos conveyed their confidence in Japan, the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Canada, South Korea, Australia, and the United States (US). In addition to China, Filipinos also hold a sense of distrust toward Russia, as indicated by the survey.
Carried out between March 2 and March 6, 2023, with a sample size of 1,500 respondents, the survey revealed that 55 percent of participants exhibited trust in Japan, closely followed by ASEAN and Canada, at 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
Interestingly, PUBLiCUS Asia noted that South Korea (39 percent), Australia (39 percent), and the US (39 percent) “share similar levels of trust.”
However, the report highlighted a slightly more cautious outlook towards the US, comparable to attitudes regarding the UK (34 percent) and the European Union (30 percent). (AI/MNM)
