Seven in 10 Filipinos believe that the martial law in Mindanao should not go beyond 2019, based on the fourth quarter Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results released late Sunday.
In the nationwide survey conducted from 13 to 16 of December, 1,200 adult respondents were asked, “In your opinion, should Martial Law in Mindanao lapse at end-2019 or be extended for a longer period?”
SWS found 65 percent of Filipino adults who said martial law in Mindanao should expire by end of 2019, while 34 percent said it should be extended. Only one percent did not give an answer.
Of the 34 percent who supported the extension of martial law beyond 2019, 22 percent said it should be extended in the entire Mindanao, 7 percent said it should be extended in Marawi City and the province of Lanao del Sur, and 5 percent said it should be extended in Marawi City, the province of Lanao del Sur, and nearby provinces.
The proportion of those who called for the termination of martial law in Mindanao by end-2019 is high in all areas, according to SWS. It is 67 percent in Metro Manila, 67 percent in Visayas, 66 percent in the rest of Luzon, and 61 percent in Mindanao.
In the same survey period, the respondents were asked about their opinion that there is no more threat of another Marawi-like terrorist attack which can happen anywhere in Mindanao.
Forty-nine percent agreed consisting of 20 percent who strongly agreed and 29 percent who somewhat agreed, and 16 percent disagreed consisting of 9 percent who somewhat disagreed and 7 percent strongly disagreed). Thirty-five percent were undecided about the matter.
These translate to a net agreement score (percentage of strongly/somewhat agreed minus percentage of somewhat/strongly disagreed) of +33, classified by SWS as “very strong.”
The SWS terminology for net agreement are as follows: +50 and above, extremely strong; +30 to +49, very strong; +10 to +29, moderately strong; +9 to -9, neutral; -10 to -29, moderately weak; -30 to -49, very weak; and -50 and below, extremely weak.
The respondents were also asked about their opinion regarding the statement, “From the time that Martial Law was declared in Mindanao, up to the present, the military has committed very few, if any, abuses of human rights in Mindanao.”
Fifty-five percent agreed (19 percent strongly agreed, 36 percent somewhat agreed), and 14 percent disagreed (9 percent somewhat disagreed, 5 percent strongly disagreed). Meanwhile, 32 percent were undecided about the matter.
These translate to a “very strong” net agreement score of +41. (Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)
