MANILA — A majority of adult Filipinos support strengthening the country’s military presence in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to a survey by OCTA Research.

The poll, commissioned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was conducted from March 19 to 25, 2026, and included 1,200 respondents nationwide.

In a statement released Wednesday, OCTA said the survey identified key policy options on how the government should address tensions in the WPS, focusing on territorial assertion, diplomacy, and military modernization.

Among the measures presented, 69 percent of respondents supported further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through expanded naval patrols and troop deployment in the WPS.

Meanwhile, 66 percent favored asserting territorial rights through diplomacy and other peaceful means, while 64 percent supported modernizing and strengthening the capability of the Philippine military to protect national territory.

Other responses included 37 percent backing expanded diplomatic engagement with countries inside and outside the region to ease tensions, 29 percent supporting joint maritime patrols and exercises with allied countries, and 23 percent favoring shelving disputes in favor of joint economic development. About 9 percent of respondents either said they did not know or refused to answer.

OCTA also reported that 72 percent of adult Filipinos said they are familiar with current issues involving the WPS, while 27 percent said they are not.

It said awareness was highest in the National Capital Region at 79 percent, followed by the Visayas at 77 percent.

By socioeconomic class, familiarity was highest among Class ABC at 86 percent and lowest among Class E at 64 percent.

“These patterns are broadly consistent with differences in access to information, media exposure, and educational attainment,” OCTA said.

The survey has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level, while subnational estimates carry a ±6 percent margin of error across NCR, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.