91% of Pinoys believe Asean hosting beneficial – SWS

In the survey, 91 percent of respondents believed that the Philippines would either benefit “much” or “very much” from the event.

STAR / Noel Pabalate

MANILA, Philippines — Most Filipinos believe that the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit in Manila next week will be beneficial to the Philippines, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from Sept. 21 to 27 showed.

In the survey, 91 percent of respondents believed that the Philippines would either benefit “much” or “very much” from the event.

Seventeen percent said the country would benefit “a little,” while nine percent said there would not be any benefit at all.

Leaders of the countries in the regional bloc, as well as those from several ASEAN partners like the United States, will arrive in the country next week for the summit.

Asked what issues should the Philippines prioritize as 2026 host of the ASEAN, 19 percent answered inflation and the rising prices of goods and services.

The other concerns are the West Philippine Sea (19 percent), oil price and supply (12 percent), poverty (nine percent), economic crisis (six percent), jobs and livelihood (five percent), war and conflict (four percent), crime and illegal drugs (three percent), food supply and hunger (three percent) and safety and security (two percent). Nineteen percent of the respondents answered other issues, while 15 percent said none or just refused to answer.

The survey also showed 46 percent of the Filipino respondents claiming having much trust in the regional bloc.

This comprised 14 percent who said they trust the ASEAN “very much” and another 32 percent who said they trust it “somewhat much.”

Another 21 percent either had “somewhat little” or “very little” trust in the regional bloc, with the remaining 31 percent undecided. This resulted in a net trust rating of +25, considered by SWS as “moderate.”

SWS data showed that this is lower than the +41 obtained in June 2017, composed of 56 percent who had much trust and 21 percent who had little trust in the regional bloc.

The net trust rating is obtained by subtracting those who had little trust from those who had much trust in the bloc.

The latest survey had 1,500 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.