45% of Filipinos prefer peace talks than war with MILF

From Rappler (May 4): 45% of Filipinos prefer peace talks than war with MILF

In contrast, a survey shows 20% of Filipinos believe that the government should undertake military operation against the MILF



PUBLIC SENTIMENT. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak witness the exchange of documents following the signing of a final peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on March 27, 2014. File photo by Dennis Sabangan/EPA

Months after the Mamasapano tragedy, many Filipinos still believe that talking peace rather than waging war is a "more effective" way of dealing with rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey finding released Sunday, May 3, found that nearly 5 in 10 or 45% of Filipinos prefer peace negotiations with the MILF while only 20% believe that the government should undertake military operations against the group.

Meanwhile, nearly 4 in 10 or 35% of those surveyed said military operations and peaceful negotiations are "equally effective."

While the survey showed that more Filipinos continue to back the peace process, support for the peace negotiations took a hit after the Mamasapano tragedy that killed at least 66 Filipinos.

SWS found that those who believe in talking peace with the rebel group went down by 17 points from 62% in March 2014, the same month when the peace agreement between the MILF and the government was signed.

Meanwhile, war drums beat louder, the survey showed, as those who said that military offensives were more effective rose by 11 points from 9% in March 2014.

Those who believe that talking peace and conducting military offensives also increased – by 6 points from 19%.

Survey timing

The survey was conducted among 1,200 adults nationwide on March 20 to March 23, days after the police Board of Inquiry and the Senate released their respective reports on the botched police raid in Mamasapano to capture 3 high-value targets.

The Senate cast the "first sin" on the MILF for allegedly coddling terrorists while the BOI report found that the 44 elite cops who died in the clash were shot at close range. The MILF, meanwhile, said the clash was a "misencounter" and maintained it denounces terrorism as an organization. At least 17 Moro rebels and 5 civilians also died in the incident.

The bloody outcome of the operation caused public outrage that threatened to derail the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress. (READ: Senate, House leaders differ on key BBL provisions)

SWS said the question on how MILF should be dealt with is part of a more comprehensive survey on Mamasapano and the BBL conducted in partnership with international non-governmental organization, The Asia Foundation. Full results of the survey will be released on May 15, SWS said.

The Asia Foundation country representative Steven Rood is part of the Third Party Monitoring Team on the government-MILF peace deal. Prior to joining the group, he was part of the International Contact Group, a team of foreign observers to the peace talks.

Months after the Mamasapano tragedy, many Filipinos still believe that talking peace rather than waging war is a "more effective" way of dealing with rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey finding released Sunday, May 3, found that nearly 5 in 10 or 45% of Filipinos prefer peace negotiations with the MILF while only 20% believe that the government should undertake military operations against the group.

Meanwhile, nearly 4 in 10 or 35% of those surveyed said military operations and peaceful negotiations are "equally effective."

While the survey showed that more Filipinos continue to back the peace process, support for the peace negotiations took a hit after the Mamasapano tragedy that killed at least 66 Filipinos.

SWS found that those who believe in talking peace with the rebel group went down by 17 points from 62% in March 2014, the same month when the peace agreement between the MILF and the government was signed.

Meanwhile, war drums beat louder, the survey showed, as those who said that military offensives were more effective rose by 11 points from 9% in March 2014.

Those who believe that talking peace and conducting military offensives also increased – by 6 points from 19%.

Other surveys

Peace negotiations between the government and the MILF started in 1996 – the same year when the Ramos administration signed a peace accord with MILF's rival group, the Moro National Liberation Front.

Talks would go on for another 18 years. Before a peace accord was signed in March 2014, the process was interrupted by the Estrada administration's all-out war policy and the declaration of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the Arroyo administration as unconstitutional.

The peace process in Southern Philippines is now in its second stage - the passage of the proposed law implementing the peace deal in Congress and in a plebiscite.

In March, Pulse Asia released a survey that asked a related question and found a different response. The survey found that 44% of Filipinos are opposed to the passage of the BBL, with 62% of those surveyed in Mindanao sharing the same sentiment.

Meanwhile, an April SWS survey found that the satisfaction rating of President Benigno Aquino III plunged to its lowest after Mamasapano.

The SWS media release publicized on Sunday included more details on the satisfaction rating survey. It showed that the largest declines in satisfaction with the President were on aspects that were related to the peace process:

Defending the country's territorial rights: +22, down from +40

Reconciliation with Muslim rebels: -3, down from +15

Reconcliiation with Communist rebels: +17, down from -3

Fighting terrorims: +6, down from +15

Resolving the Maguindanao massacre case with justice: -50 from -41

http://www.rappler.com/nation/92065-sws-survey-peace-war-milf