Palace says Filipinos’ low trust on China is ‘understandable’

MANILA, Philippines—It’s understandable that Filipinos do not trust China as much as they trust the United States, which has been the country’s ally for so long.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said this on Monday, reacting to a recent Pulse Asia survey that showed the US remained the most trusted country by Filipinos while China and Russia were the least.

READ: US still most trusted by Filipinos, China least – Pulse Asia 

“It’s understandable for Filipinos to feel that way because ngayon pa lang eh. We’ve been used to the United States being our ally so mas sanay tayo sa Amerika (we’re more used to America),” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

“But siguro (maybe) as we go along at nakita na ‘yung (and see the) sincerity ng (of) China with respect to agreements between two countries, baka mabago ang kanilang pananaw (ng mga tao) [the people’s perception might change],” he added.

The survey results came amid Duterte’s warming ties with China. The Philippines and China even signed several bilateral agreements during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s second visit to the country in November 2018.

Asked if this survey reflects Duterte’s influence in persuading people to trust China, Panelo said: “It takes some time for people to accept certain changes that they are not used to.”

The survey, conducted by Pulse Asia from December 14 to 21, showed that 84 percent of Filipinos said they trust the US while more than half of Filipinos or 60 percent said they distrust China. /kga