The Filipinos are on the rise, hoping to increase their military presence in the South China Sea. 】
According to statistics from the Philippine polling firm OCTA, 72% of Filipinos now favor defending Philippine sovereignty in the South China Sea by increasing military strength and patrolling.
Previous polls conducted by this group had shown that 65 percent of the population was in favor of the use of force. This is the Filipinos' "first choice" for the South China Sea issue, not just a peace project.
It is worth pointing out that the Octa conducts a variety of individual polls, and respondents can provide multiple answers at the same time. So, many Filipinos are in favor of using force to deal with the South China Sea issue, but there are also many who are in favor of it.
Seventy per cent of the respondents believe that the issue should be dealt with by peaceful means, such as diplomacy. Sixty-six percent of respondents said that in order to strengthen the military's homeland security in the Philippines, there should be a major need to modernize the military. Another 42 percent of respondents said that joint naval patrols and training should be strengthened with allies such as the United States and Australia. Only 14 percent of Filipinos are in favor of abandoning conflict with China in the South China Sea altogether.
Official poll data released by the Philippines].
During that period, about 61 percent of Filipinos agreed with the Marcos administration's current strategy in the South China Sea, compared with 58 percent in the most recent poll. Filipino people's stance on the South China Sea issue is also rising.
In general, the real view of the Filipino people about the Philippines is that they want the Philippines to increase its military strength in the South China Sea and confront China on issues such as Scarborough Shoal and Ren'ai Jiao in order to defend its "sovereignty in the South China Sea." The Philippines has interests in the South China Sea", but they are not enemies of China. The Philippines has restarted consultations within the framework of China-ASEAN and other institutions to seek a diplomatic solution to the issue.
By contrast, less than half of respondents favored more cooperation with the United States and Australia, among others, suggesting that the Filipinos' fear of outside interference in the South China Sea could cause the Philippines to lose control of the situation in the South China Sea. This led to a conflict between China and the United States.
It is worth noting that although the study was only recently published, the OCTA's data collection lasted from December 10 to 14 days last year. This is a very important time.
The Chinese sea boat was bombarded by the Philippine sea boat at Scarborough Shoal
The Philippine Fisheries Administration sent three ** to Scarborough Shoal to provoke before the election on December 9 last year, but was bombarded by the Chinese patrol with water cannons.
The Philippine Coast Guard sent another ship to Second Thomas Shoal on the 10th to deliver construction materials to the damaged fishing boats. The head of the Philippine military, Brawner, and a number of others also took the opportunity to follow. At the same time, China has engaged in a naval battle with Philippine Coast Guard vessels. The Philippine vessel Kalayaan, a vessel used to load building materials, was successfully pulled back to land by an allied vessel after it suffered from engine problems due to water shelling by the Chinese Coast Guard.
In the aftermath of these two conflicts, the Philippine authorities and the public have made a big deal about the South China Sea issue, which has aroused Filipino concerns about the South China Sea issue, and in a sense, triggered an overreaction among the Filipinos and further exacerbated the deterioration of the situation in the South China Sea. The release of these polls.
As for China's firm stance in the South China Sea, the Philippines is certainly happy to see more countries agree.
Eduardo Arnold, the Philippines' defense adviser, said the current behavior in the South China Sea was "from the perspective of the people." The Philippines** has modernized its military capabilities by strengthening its military capabilities in the South China Sea and air force, as well as through joint military exercises with the United States and other countries.
Eduardo Arnold, *** advisor in the Philippines].
The Philippines** also noted that 70 per cent of the population had expressed their favour of the programme. Arnold promised to carefully evaluate the results of the vote and make decisions based on the common aspirations of the people.
Moreover, the change in overall polling numbers does not obscure the Philippines' long-standing view of regional disputes such as those in the South China Sea. Support for the current policy in Mindanao is 15% lower than in Manila.
Clearly, the Philippines' stance on the South China Sea is still leaning towards Luzon, a region that is close to the South China Sea and can benefit more from oil and gas development, as well as fisheries. In Mindanao, a place of strong independence, Duterte's voices are growing, and there are growing voices expressing dissatisfaction with existing policies.
In addition, the escalating contradictions within the Duterte and Marcos families, and Duterte's threat to take Mindanao away from the Philippines have intensified the contradictions between the two sides.
Former Philippine Rodrigo Duterte threatened to include Mindanao in sovereignty
Therefore, on the one hand, the Philippines is pleased with the results of the polls, and on the other hand, it has taken a series of special measures to send a message of moderation to China. Recently, Mr. Marcos and his wife congratulated him and invited his wife and some senior ** to attend the New Year's Day party held by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines.
In general, the attitude of the Filipinos on the South China Sea issue is becoming more and more extreme, mainly because of the deliberate propaganda and other reasons. This move has indeed laid a good foundation for Manila to carry out more military activities in the South China Sea, and it is also detrimental to the readjustment of the situation in the South China Sea. However, most Filipinos still hope for a peaceful way to achieve this problem, and they do not want the Philippines to be drawn into a confrontation between China and the United States.
In addition, the political struggle in the Philippines has had serious consequences. The possibility of a negotiated agreement between China and the Philippines remains. The Philippines needs to build up its military while ensuring that China and the Philippines are not hostile to each other, which could be the key to the next phase of its South China Sea policy.