An increasing number of Filipinos believe that beefing up the nation’s military capabilities is the most crucial step the government can take to protect its interests in the West Philippine Sea, according to a newly released Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group.
The Second Quarter 2026 poll reveals that 45 percent of respondents view the modernization of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as the country’s top priority for defending its maritime rights.
Regional Breakdown of First-Choice Preferences
The call for military and coast guard modernization emerged as the leading primary strategy across all major geographical areas in the country:
- Luzon: 47 percent
- National Capital Region (NCR): 46 percent
- Visayas: 44 percent
- Mindanao: 39 percent
Alternative Strategies and Global Alliances
Beyond military upgrades, respondents highlighted diplomatic and collaborative approaches as key primary strategies:
- Strengthening Alliances (33 percent): Utilizing joint military drills and maritime cooperation activities with international allies was the second most popular first-choice strategy.
- Expanding Security Partnerships (22 percent): Building deeper ties with nations sharing similar strategic outlooks ranked third.
These sentiments align with a separate Pulse Asia survey from May 2026, also commissioned by Stratbase, which showed that 86 percent of Filipinos favor working more closely with countries like the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada to address challenges in the West Philippine Sea.
Secondary Priorities Highlight Diplomatic Ties
When participants were asked to choose their second-most important priority, international cooperation took the lead:
- Enhancing allied partnerships was the top secondary choice at 39 percent nationwide, peaking in the NCR and the Visayas at 41 percent.
- Forging new defense and security agreements followed closely at 31 percent.
- Continued modernization of the AFP and PCG was selected as a secondary priority by 30 percent of respondents, with its strongest second-choice support coming from Mindanao at 34 percent.
Survey Methodology
The SWS survey was conducted from June 20 to 29, 2026, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult respondents nationwide. The study features a margin of error of 3 percentage points for national data and 6 percentage points for regional areas (Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao), maintaining a 95-percent confidence level.