66% of Filipinos favor Marcos' 'assertive response' to WPS dispute — OCTA

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

July 10, 2026 | 3:50pm

MANILA, Philippines — A majority, or 66%, of Filipino adults agree with the "assertive response" of the government under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to China over disputes in the West Philippine Sea, according to the latest survey by OCTA Research.

The survey covered 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above across the country, who were interviewed face to face from April 20 to 24. The survey was non-commissioned and has a margin of error of ±3% at a 95% confidence level.

The survey was released on Friday, July 10, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that upheld the Philippines' territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea on July 12.

The ruling invalidated China's then-nine-dash line and found that the country had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The 66% approval rating was a combination of respondents who said they "strongly agree" and "somewhat agree" with the question: “How much do you agree or disagree with the response of the current administration of Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. regarding the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea between the Philippines and China?”

On the other hand, a total of 13% said they strongly or somewhat disagreed, while 19% said they did not know or could not say.

“The 66% approval figure is best read not as an isolated data point but as confirmation of an already-established pattern: Filipino public opinion has consistently and convergently favored a firmer, more assertive government posture in the West Philippine Sea,” OCTA’s report read.

All regions, classes agree

The survey respondents came from the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. In every region, a majority of respondents expressed agreement with Marcos' response to the West Philippine Sea dispute.

The highest level of agreement was recorded in the National Capital Region at 70%. It was followed by Balance Luzon at 68%, the Visayas at 65% and Mindanao at 62%.

OCTA also noted that Marcos faced the strongest criticism from Mindanao, where 19% of respondents said they opposed his administration's response.

Approval ratings were also consistently high across all socioeconomic groups, with 68% of Class ABC respondents, representing the upper and middle classes, expressing agreement with Marcos' response to the West Philippine Sea dispute.

Meanwhile, 67% of Class D respondents, representing the lower-middle class and 63% of those in the poorest sector expressed support.

Nationally consistent

OCTA said the recent survey results reveal a nationally consistent stance that the Philippines needs to be assertive in asserting its claim over the West Philippine Sea, despite differences in the statistical breakdown by region.

Citing a previous report that found most Filipinos endorse assertiveness and diplomacy as strategies for asserting territorial rights, OCTA said the recent 66% approval rating reflected this public opinion.

“Read together, this indicates that support for an assertive WPS policy is nationally consistent, and that differences across regions are a function of information reach rather than divergent views on strategy,” it said.