MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos approve of the Marcos administration's handling of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) disputes, according to the latest non-commissioned survey released by OCTA Research on Friday, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines.
The April 2026 Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey found that 66 percent of adult Filipinos either strongly or somewhat agreed with the government's response to the territorial dispute, while 13 percent disagree and 19 percent remain undecided.
OCTA said the findings indicated that public support for the government's more assertive approach to the WPS remains strong a decade after the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea.
The nationwide survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above from April 20 to 24, 2026. It has a ±3 percentage point margin of error at the 95-percent confidence level, while subnational estimates carry a ±6 percentage point margin of error.
Support for the administration was highest in the National Capital Region at 70 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 68 percent, the Visayas at 65 percent, and Mindanao at 62 percent. Although approval remained above the majority threshold across all major regions, opposition was highest in Mindanao at 19 percent, compared with 13 percent in Metro Manila, 12 percent in Balance Luzon and 11 percent in the Visayas.
By socioeconomic class, approval was broadly consistent, with 68 percent among Class ABC, 67 percent among Class D and 63 percent among Class E. OCTA noted that uncertainty, rather than outright opposition, was more pronounced among Class E respondents, where 27 percent said they could not give a definite opinion.
Among the regions, Mimaropa posted the highest approval rating at 88 percent, followed by Region I (84 percent), Region V (78 percent), Region XII (76 percent) and Region VIII (75 percent). The lowest approval levels were recorded in Region XIII (54 percent), the Cordillera Administrative Region and Region VII (56 percent each), and Regions II and X (57 percent each).
Approval also remained stable across age groups, peaking at 75 percent among respondents aged 75 years and above. Support ranged from 62 percent to 68 percent across the other age brackets, with the lowest recorded among those aged 25 to 34.
The survey likewise found identical approval levels between urban and rural respondents at 66 percent. By gender, 69 percent of male respondents approved of the administration's WPS response, compared with 64 percent of female respondents. Approval was also broadly consistent across educational attainment levels.
OCTA said the latest findings reinforced survey results showing sustained public support for a firmer government stance on the WPS issue.
In its March 2026 survey, 76 percent of Filipinos said they were committed to defending Philippine territory, while 69 percent supported expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the WPS, 66 percent favored diplomacy and other peaceful methods, and 64 percent backed the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
According to OCTA, the latest survey suggests Filipinos generally support a strategy that combines territorial assertion, diplomacy and military modernization, rather than viewing these approaches as competing options. It added that the findings point to a durable public mandate for the government's assertive posture in the West Philippine Sea.
