Filipinos are almost evenly divided over the Marcos administration’s handling of the maritime dispute with China, even as nearly three in four favour diplomacy over confrontation, according to a new survey.
That preference has taken on added significance after recent remarks by China’s ambassador to Manila sparked a diplomatic row ahead of November’s Asean summit.
The feud underscored the challenge of managing tensions with Beijing, and increasingly hostile rhetoric could make the diplomatic path backed by most Filipinos harder to sustain, analysts say.
A nationwide poll of 1,487 Filipino adults, conducted from August 18 to 23 and released on October 20 by Momentum Research, found that 45.2 per cent considered President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration effective in handling tensions in the South China Sea, while 45 per cent disagreed, with the remainder undecided or declining to answer.