Seven in 10 Filipinos believe the government should assert its rights over islands in the West Philippine Sea, results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed yesterday. To the statement, “The Philippine government should assert its rights over the islands in the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration,” 70 percent agreed and 13 percent disagreed, for a net agreement score of +57, classified by the SWS as “extremely strong.” Fifteen percent were undecided on the matter, the pollster said. The nationwide net agreement score, however, fell from +82 in June 2019 to +57 in July 2020. It also fell in all areas, down by 31 points in Mindanao, 30 points in balance Luzon, 20 points in Metro Manila and 18 points in the Visayas.

Flores, H., Mendez, C., Romero, P., & Punongbayan, M. (2020, July 15). 70% of Pinoys want Phl to assert WPS rights. The Philippine Star, p. 5.