(UPDATE) Distrust was highest in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon (88 percent) and lowest in the Visayas and Mindanao (both at 77 percent).
Distrust cut across socioeconomic groups, ranging from 80 to 90 percent, peaking among Class E.
Rural respondents reported greater distrust (90 percent) than their urban counterparts (82 percent). By age group, distrust ranged from 73 to 89 percent, with the highest among Filipinos ages 55-64. Men and women were at 85 percent each.
Members of the Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement hold a protest rally infront of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City, on August 25, 2025, to condemn the dangerous maneuvers of Chinese military ships at Bajo de Masinloc and the continued bullying of China vessels against Filipino fishermen and Filipino Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. PHOTO MIKE ALQUINTO
At the regional level, Cagayan Valley was an outlier, with only 34 percent distrusting China, while Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, and Caraga reported a full 100 percent distrust.
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When asked which country poses the greatest threat, 74 percent of Filipinos pointed to China, far ahead of Russia and North Korea (4 percent each).
The view of China as the top threat was strongest in Balance Luzon (78 percent) and lowest in the Visayas (63 percent).
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Respondents cited China’s aggressive actions in the WPS as the main reason for their distrust (66 percent).
Other concerns included the influx of smuggled Chinese goods (13 percent), crimes linked to Chinese (9 percent), and competition from Chinese workers (8 percent).
The survey also found broad support for the country’s defense of its maritime entitlements.
Seventy-six percent said the WPS is a vital part of the Philippines’ maritime rights and backed government efforts to protect it.
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Only 3 percent disagreed, while 19 percent were undecided.
Support was strongest in Metro Manila and Mindanao (both at 86 percent) and lowest in the Visayas (67 percent).
In Balance Luzon, one in four respondents remained undecided. Across income groups, support held steady from 73 to 78 percent.
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The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, with a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
Subnational results carry a ±6 percent margin of error for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
Interviews were conducted in local languages, including Filipino, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo, and Bicolano.
OCTA stressed that the survey was independent, non-commissioned, and non-partisan.
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Protest at Chinese Embassy
The release of the survey results coincided with a National Heroes’ Day protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City, where the FDNY (Filipinos Do Not Yield) Movement staged a demonstration to condemn Beijing’s escalating aggression.
The protesters held a “die-in,” staged theatrical performances, and hurled rotten tomatoes at replicas of Chinese ships to dramatize their anger over the Aug. 11 incident in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), where China Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at Philippine ships on a resupply mission.
FDNY convenor Giselle Albano said the protest, dubbed “Kadamay para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” (Solidarity for the New Hero-Fisherfolk), honored Filipino fisherfolk who continue to face harassment at sea.
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“This fight is not only about territory — it is about livelihood, dignity, and sovereignty,” Albano said, adding that China’s disinformation campaign was aimed at undermining public trust on the Philippine side.
Protesters carried banners declaring “The West Philippine Sea is Ours” and “Defend Filipino Fisherfolk,” with some donning fishing gear to symbolize the struggles of coastal communities.
The FDNY vowed to sustain its protests until Beijing abides by international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims.
Albano concluded by calling for unity: “On National Heroes’ Day, we remember not just the heroes of the past, but we stand in solidarity with the heroes of today — our fishermen, our coast guard, our soldiers — who face danger daily to defend our seas.”
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Understanding the threat
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) welcomed the results of the survey showing most Filipinos distrusting China and seeing it as the biggest threat to the country.
“The OCTA results show that the Filipino people understand the threat in the WPS and support the stand of the government to defend our maritime rights. This further strengthens the resolve of the AFP to protect and secure what is rightfully ours,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the WPS, said.
“It adds more legitimacy to our stand — and fight — when you know you have the backing of the vast majority of our people. Issues in the WPS are the greatest threat to our existence as a republic that we all have to face together,” he said.
The Philippines continues to face aggression and coercive action from China in the disputed waters.
Just last week, the government monitored an increased presence of Chinese maritime forces in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, both in numbers and warfare capability.
Chinese vessels, including small boats, were now mounted with weapon systems and have even attempted to approach the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippine Navy’s lone military outpost purposely run aground in the reef to mark ownership of the territory.
On Aug. 11, Chinese vessels rammed each other as one tried to chase after the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Suluan, which was out on a mission to assist Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales.
Barely two days later, a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to a PCG Caravan aircraft as the latter conducted a reconnaissance flight in the airspace of Bajo de Masinloc.
