US still Pinoys’ most trusted country

MANILA, Philippines — The United States remained the most trusted country by Filipinos, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The poll, conducted from Sept. 27 to 30, showed 80 percent of Filipinos who have “much trust” in the US against eight percent with “little trust,” for a net trust score of +72, classified as excellent.

It was no different from +73 in June 2019, the SWS said.

According to the SWS, net trust in the US has been positive since the organization first surveyed it in December 1994, ranging from a moderate +18 in May 2005 to an excellent +82 in December 2013.

Meanwhile, Australia and Japan both obtained “good” net trust scores of +37 (54 percent much trust, 17 percent little trust) and +35 (56 percent much trust, 22 percent little trust), respectively, in September.

Singapore’s net trust stayed moderate at +26 (48 percent much trust, 21 percent little trust) in September. It dropped three points from the record-high +29 (47 percent much trust, 17 percent little trust) in December 2017.

Net trust for Vietnam fell from moderate to neutral, at net zero (31 percent much trust, 31 percent little trust) in September from +13 (34 percent much trust, 21 percent little trust) in December 2017.

Net trust in Vietnam used to be at bad levels from March 1995 to June 1997, ranging from -32 to -48, the SWS said.

China’s net trust fell from poor to bad in September, at -33 (21 percent much trust, 54 percent little trust) from -24 in June 2019. This was the lowest since the bad -35 in June 2018, it said.

Net trust in China has been positive in only nine out of 51 surveys since SWS first surveyed it in August 1994, the pollster added.

It reached as high as a moderate +17 in June 2010 and as low as a bad -46 in September 2015.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults,18 years old and above, nationwide.

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other US officials called on Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to discuss the Philippines-United States alliance; robust and dynamic defense and security cooperation; and other matters of mutual interest.

Present at the meeting were US Assistant Secretary of Defense Randall Schriver, Chris Johnstone of the US Department of Defense, Senior Military Assistant Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton, US Ambassador Sung Kim, DFA Undersecretary for policy Enrique Manalo, Assistant Secretary for American affairs Maria Lumen Isleta, Undersecretary for civilian security and consular concerns Brigido Dulay, and Faysaleyyah Abdullah of the Department of National Defense.

The US defense chief said that the US remains committed to its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines and “rejects attempts by any nation to use coercion or intimidation to advance its national interests at the expense of others.”

Esper said the US and the Philippines must continue to work closely together, just like they have been doing in the past 70 years, to uphold international law.  – With Pia Lee-Brago