MANILA — Most Filipinos support the continued disclosure of China’s activities against Philippine vessels and fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as the Philippines chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026, a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.

Conducted from February 27 to March 2, the survey found that 68% of respondents believe the Philippines should keep revealing China’s coercive actions in the WPS. Meanwhile, 28% said the country should not continue disclosing these incidents, and 4% either could not tell or refused to answer.

Support for ongoing disclosure was highest in the National Capital Region and Balance Luzon, both at 75%, followed by Mindanao at 68%. The Visayas recorded the lowest support at 45%.

By socioeconomic class, 76% of respondents in Class ABC favored continuing disclosure, compared with 67% in Class D and 63% in Class E.

The survey also asked respondents which countries they trust most to work with the Philippines in defending its rights and upholding international law in the WPS. “The United States topped the list with 70%, followed by Japan with 46%, Australia with 37%, Canada with 26%, and ASEAN as an organization with 24%,” the results showed. Other partners cited include South Korea (20%), Russia (19%), United Kingdom (16%), Germany (13%), and Taiwan (6%).

The survey also gauged interest in international leaders visiting the Philippines during ASEAN and East Asia meetings this year. About 59% of Filipinos want US President Donald Trump to visit, followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin at 10% and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at 9%. Chinese President Xi Jinping received 3% support.

The Pulse Asia Ulat ng Bayan Survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult Filipinos nationwide. It has a ±2.8% margin of error at the national level and included representative samples from the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The survey was commissioned by the We Protect Our Seas (WPS) organization.