Palace claims SWS survey showing anti-China sentiment is propaganda

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has dismissed as “political propaganda” a recent poll suggesting that four in 10 Filipinos do not believe that most of China’s intentions are good for them. 

A Social Weather Stations  (SWS) poll conducted last December showed 44 percent of respondents disagreed that most of what the Chinese government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for Filipinos. 

Despite President Duterte’s praises for China, only 27 percent think most of Beijing’s intentions are good, while 29 percent of the respondents are undecided on the matter. 

“The President’s ardent critics and detractors have become desperate in employing its anti-China card against the Duterte administration,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement Monday. 

“Now comes another political propaganda purportedly saying that 44 percent – which is not actually a figure representing a majority – disagree that the Chinese government has good intentions for the Filipino people,” he added. 

Critics have accused Duterte of being too soft on China on the South China Sea row and Beijing’s occupation of disputed areas. The President has vowed not to abandon the Philippines’ maritime claims but maintained he would not go to war over the dispute because it would result in a “massacre” of Filipino troops. 

Panelo claimed critics have tried unsuccessfully to create “fear and hatred” against the foreign policies of the administration twice. 

He said these efforts are the China debt trap “scare tactics” and the case against China filed by former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario and former ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales before the International Criminal Court. 

Economic managers have given assurance that the Philippines would not fall into a debt trap, saying they have secured better concessional loan financing from China for the government’s big-ticket water infrastructure projects.

The case filed by Del Rosario and Morales, meanwhile, seeks to make China accountable for its actions in the South China Sea that deprived Filipino fishermen of food and livelihood and caused damage to the environment. 

Panelo expressed optimism that Filipinos would have a more favorable view of China once Manila’s stronger ties with Beijing yield economic gains.

“We are seeing that there would be a change of hearts and minds from those undecided and even those who disagree – whom we believe are used to the United States as our long-standing ally – once our enhanced ties with China start to yield positive economic results,” Panelo said. 

He said the public must be informed about the need to expand the Philippines’ ties outside its traditional allies like the US and Japan. He said this would enable Filipinos to have a deeper understanding and better appreciation of the reasons that prompted President Duterte to seek broader diplomatic relations.

“With such mindset, they will realize that all these policies of the administration are intended not for any foreign race or nationality but for the sole benefit of the Filipino people,” Panelo said. 

The non-commissioned SWS poll surveyed face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults and had a sampling error margin of ±2.6 percent for national percentages. 

National patrimony

Opposition leaders and critics slammed Duterte for virtually selling the Philippines to China.

A protest rally was held in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati City yesterday, calling on the Duterte administration to fight China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea and reject what critics describe as  onerous loans. 

Opposition senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares joined the rally and said the protest action proved that Filipinos are willing to defend the country’s sovereignty “despite President Duterte’s sellout to China.”

“Duterte has betrayed the sacrifices of our heroes in fighting for independence and national sovereignty. His defeatist and mendicant foreign policy has emboldened China to treat the West Philippine Sea as its own, with utter disregard for our rights and dignity as a nation,” he said.

Colmenares said he had a talk with the fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales revealing the harassment of the Chinese Coast Guard that prevented them from fishing in Panatag  (Scarborough) Shoal.

Marawi civic leader and opposition senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc dared the administration candidates to visit Panatag Shoal and observe firsthand the situation of the fisherfolk there.

She said the administration should assert Filipino sovereignty and rights over Philippine territory.

Gutoc said the issue of asserting rights over the West Philippine Sea is for every Filipino.

The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the nation’s fish supply is adversely affected by strong Chinese presence off the western coasts of the Philippines. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ding Cervantes, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marc Jason Cayabyab, Helen Flores