Photographed through the window of a closed aircraft, an aerial view shows Pagasa Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines Wednesday July 20, 2011. China protested a trip made by Filipino lawmakers to disputed areas in the South China Sea to assert the claim of the Philippines. Ethan Sun, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Manila, said the trip scheduled was ‘against the spirit’ of a code of conduct signed by claimants to the areas in 2002. The Spratlys, believed to be rich in oil, mineral and marine resources, are also claimed in whole or partly by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. (AP Photo/Roley Dela Pena, Pool)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Three out of five Filipinos or 62 percent have little trust in China amid the territorial row between Manila and Beijing, according to a survey by Social Weather Stations.
SWS said the survey conducted June 5 to 8 also found 17 percent of Filipinos have much trust in China.
This accounted for a record-low net trust of -45 that the pollster classified as “bad.”
“China’s lowest net trust score of -45 surpassed the previous record-low of -36 in June 2014, May 2012, and June 1995 during the Mischief Reef confrontation between the Philippines and China,” SWS said.
The Philippines had taken the dispute before an international tribunal, with China refusing to take part in such proceedings.
In contrast, the survey showed a “very good” +64 trust rating for the United States, and a “good” +36 for Australia.
But net trust for Saudi Arabia was at a “neutral” -9, and a “poor” -10 for Malaysia.
“United States, in particular, has been enjoying positive net trust ratings since December 1994, ranging from moderate +18 in May 2005 to excellent +82 in December 2013,” SWS said.
It added Australia has scored positive net trust ratings since April 1995, ranging from neutral +3 in September 1995 to very good +55 in August 2012.
On the other hand, net trust in Saudi Arabia was a poor -19 in August 1994 before it rose to neutral -5 in March 2008, then stayed in neutral territory.
Net trust in Malaysia was at neutral -2 in August 1994 and fell to poor and bad levels from December 1994 to March 2008, ranging from -37 to -16.
But it rose to neutral -2 in June 2008, and has remained in neutral territory until it got a poor -10 in June 2015.
SWS rates net trust ratings of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 “very good”; +30 to +49 “good”; +10 to +29 “moderate”, +9 to -9 “neutral”; -10 to -29 “poor”; -30 to -49 “bad”; -50 to -69 “very bad”; -70 and below “execrable.”
“A single-digit net satisfaction is considered not significantly different from zero,” SWS said.
Close attention to territorial issue
Also, the SWS survey showed 51 percent of Filipinos paid close attention to news reports on “the events regarding the conflict between the Philippines and China about who owns the islands in the West Philippine Sea.”
The SWS added the Philippine-China dispute was the fifth most followed news event of 14 news events tested.
Some 51 percent followed the issue very closely or somewhat closely, compared to 52 percent for events regarding the K to 12 program (fourth); 57 percent for the case of OFW Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia’s death row and the court trial of suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles (tied second and third); and 78 percent for the bout between Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May 3 (first).
The sixth most followed was the trial on the Maguindanao massacre (50 percent); and the Senate investigation on alleged anomalies in the construction of a building in Makati City when Vice President Jejomar Binay was still Mayor of Makati (48 percent) was seventh.
Eighth was the court trial on the case of former President Gloria Arroyo (46 percent), and ninth was the earthquake that devastated Nepal (44 percent).
China’s net trust ratings
SWS said China’s net trust ratings were also “bad” in Mischief Reef incidents of 1995 and 1999.
But it said China’s net trust rating was positive in only seven out of 35 surveys from 1994 to 2015, from a neutral +3 in September 2002 to the record-high moderate +17 in June 2010.
“On the other hand, China’s net trust scores were mostly negative, ranging from neutral -1 to the record-low bad -45,” it said.
Also, it said China’s net trust rating ranged from bad to poor during the first Mischief Reef confrontation between the Philippines and China in 1995.
It was also bad in April 1995 (-30) and June 1995 (-36), then poor in September 1995 (-26) and December 1995 (-28).
China’s net trust rating again fell to bad levels in June 1999 during the second Mischief Reed incident (-32), and in December 2008, after the news on melamine contamination of milk from China, (-33).
It recovered briefly from February 2009 to December 2011, from neutral -2 to moderate +17.
But it again fell to a bad -36 in May 2012, then has since then stayed at poor to bad levels.
Survey background
The survey was held June 5 to 8, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (Luzon minus Metro Manila), Visayas and Mindanao.
Sampling error margins of 3% for national percentages, and 6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, applied to the survey.
The exact questions on public trust in selected countries include:
PAG-USAPAN PO NATIN ANG TUNGKOL SA ILANG BANSA. SA MGA SUMUSUNOD, MAAARI PO BANG SABIHIN NINYO KUNG ANG PAGTITIWALA NINYO SA (BANSA) AY NAPAKALAKI, MEDYO MALAKI, HINDI TIYAK KUNG MALAKI O MALIIT, MEDYO MALIIT, NAPAKALIIT, O WALA PA KAYONG NARINIG O NABASA KAHIT NA KAILAN TUNGKOL SA (BANSA)? PAKISABI ANG SAGOT NINYO SA PAMAMAGITAN NG PAGLAGAY NG MGA KARD SA NAAANGKOP NA LUGAR SA RATING BOARD NA ITO. [Let’s now talk about some countries. For the following, please indicate if your trust/faith in (COUNTRY) is VERY MUCH, SOMEWHAT MUCH, UNDECIDED IF MUCH OR LITTLE, SOMEWHAT LITTLE, VERY LITTLE, or YOU HAVE NOT HEARD OR READ ANYTHING ABOUT THE (COUNTRY) ever? You may indicate your answers by placing each card on the appropriate box on this rating board.]
On public attention to news, the exact questions are:
NARITO PO ANG ILANG PANGYAYARI NA INIULAT SA MIDYA SA NAKARAANG TATLONG BUWAN. SA BAWAT ISA, PAKISABI LAMANG PO KUNG ANG MGA ULAT DITO AY INYONG SINUNDAN NANG MABUTI, MEDYO SINUNDAN, SINUNDAN NANG KAUNTI LAMANG, HINDI SINUNDAN, O NGAYON LANG KAYO MAY NARINIG TUNGKOL DITO (SHUFFLE CARDS)? [Here are some events reported in the media in the past 3 months. For each one, please say if you followed the reports VERY CLOSELY, SOMEWHAT CLOSELY, JUST A LITTLE, NOT AT ALL, or HAVE YOU JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS NOW? (SHUFFLE CARDS)]
- ANG PAGLILITIS SA KORTE TUNGKOL SA MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE NG NOBYEMBRE 2009 (The court trial concerning the Maguindanao massacre of November 2009)
- ANG IMBESTIGASYON NG SENADO UKOL SA DIUMANO’Y ANOMALYA SA PAGPAPAGAWA NG BUILDING SA MAKATI CITY NOONG MAYOR PA NG MAKATI SI VICE-PRES. JOJO BINAY (The Senate investigation regarding the alleged anomaly in the construction of a building in Makati City when Vice-Pres. Jojo Binay was still Mayor of Makati)
- ANG PAGLILITIS SA KORTE NG “PORK BARREL SCAM” NI JANET LIM NAPOLES (The court trial concerning the Pork Barrel Scam of Janet Lim Napoles)
- ANG PAGSASABATAS SA KONGRESO NG “BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW” (The legislation of the Bangsamoro Basic Law)
- ANG MGA KAGANAPAN TUNGKOL SA HIDWAAN NG PILIPINAS AT CHINA UKOL SA PAGMAMAY-ARI NG MGA ISLA SA WEST PHILIPPINE SEA (Events regarding the conflict between the Philippines and China about who owns the islands in the West Philippine Sea)
- ANG KAGANAPAN UKOL SA KASONG MURDER LABAN KAY US MARINE LANCE CORPORAL JOSEPH SCOTT PEMBERTON DAHIL SA PAGPATAY NITO SA FILIPINO TRANSGENDER WOMAN NA SI JEFFREY “JENNIFER” LAUDE (The events of the murder case against US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for killing Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude)
- ANG LABANAN SA BOKSING NINA MANNY PACQUIAO AT FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR. (The boxing fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.)
- ANG KASO NG OFW NA SI MARY JANE VELOSO SA INDONESIA (The case of OFW Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia)
- ANG PAGLILITIS SA KORTE NG KASO NI DATING PANG. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (The court trial concerning the case of former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)
- MGA KAGANAPAN UKOL SA PAGPAPATUPAD NG PROGRAMANG K TO 12 (Events regarding the implementation of the K to 12 program)
- MGA BALITA UKOL SA PREPARASYON PARA SA APEC CONFERENCE NA GAGANAPIN DITO SA PILIPINAS (News regarding the preparations for the APEC conference that will be held here in the Philippines)
- MGA BALITA UKOL SA KAGULUHAN SA BANSANG YEMEN (News regarding the conflict in Yemen)
- MGA BALITA UKOL SA KALAGAYAN NG MGA ROHINGYAS (News about the plight of the Rohingyas)
- ANG LINDOL NA NANALANTA SA BANSANG NEPAL (The earthquake that ravaged Nepal) (MNS)