Only 13 percent of adult Filipinos take issue with how the Marcos administration has managed the maritime standoff with China, according to results from the latest Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research.
Approval sits at 66 percent, combining respondents who strongly agree and those who somewhat agree with the government’s handling of the territorial dispute. A further 19 percent declined to place themselves on either side, telling pollsters they could not say whether they agreed or disagreed.
Fieldwork ran from April 20 to 24, 2026, covering 1,200 adult respondents nationwide. The results carry a margin of error of ±3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Public familiarity with the dispute has been a recurring finding in OCTA’s polling this year. Its earlier 2026 round, released in June, recorded that 72 percent of adult Filipinos were aware of ongoing issues in the West Philippine Sea, with awareness peaking at 79 percent in the National Capital Region and 77 percent in the Visayas, while Luzon and Mindanao each registered 69 percent, The Manila Times reported. Awareness by socioeconomic class ranged from 86 percent among Class ABC respondents down to 64 percent among Class E.
Preferred government responses have clustered tightly rather than diverged. GMA News reported that respondents in that earlier round ranked expanded naval patrols and troop presence at 69 percent, diplomacy and other peaceful methods at 66 percent, and military modernization at 64 percent among measures they considered important.
Sentiment toward Beijing has remained sharply negative. A non-commissioned OCTA round fielded December 3 to 11, 2025 found that 60 percent of respondents disagreed that the Philippines should trust China, against 13 percent who said it should, with 26 percent undecided, Manila Bulletin reported. Distrust held between 56 and 63 percent across regions, highest in Balance Luzon and the National Capital Region, while trust in China ranged from zero in Caraga to 31 percent in the Davao Region.
The military has publicly welcomed the polling. “The AFP welcomes the results of the recent OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa survey, which clearly reflect the strong, unified resolve of our nation,” said retired rear admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman for the West Philippine Sea. Trinidad said the findings support the military’s Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, a shift in orientation from internal security operations toward external defense.
Setting aside the sovereignty question in favor of joint economic development remains the least favored option on the table. The Manila Times reported support for that approach at 23 percent in March 2026, up from 17 percent in October 2023 and 14 percent in December 2023.
