SWS: 71% of Pinoys hoping for peace pact between govt, MILF

Despite problems hounding the peace process, more than seven out of 10 Filipinos surveyed remain hopeful that the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will reach a peace agreement. This was the finding of a new survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS), which also said a little over half of Filipinos expect a peace agreement to be signed during the Aquino administration. The latest survey, published in SWS' media partner BusinessWorld, was conducted September 4 to 7 among 1,200 respondents. Fifty-six percent of the respondents said the meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and MILF officials led by chairman Al Haj Murad last August would help. On the other hand, 52 percent of the respondents said the agreement would be reached before Aquino's term ends in 2016. Strongest in Mindanao The survey found public eagerness for a peace agreement to be strongest in Mindanao, with 24 percent expecting a deal to happen in 2011-2013, compared to 12 percent in Metro Manila, 10 percent in Balance Luzon and six percent in the Visayas. Combined with those holding a 2014-2016 timeframe, optimism was still highest in Mindanao at 55 percent followed by the Visayas, 51 percent; and 50 percent each in Balance Luzon and Metro Manila, 50 percent. * peace pact in next admin? Only 23 percent in Metro Manila, 21 percent in both Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and 15 percent in the Visayas expect an agreement to happen in the next administration, or 2016-2022. Those who think that a deal will never be reached comprised 30 percent in the Visayas, 24 percent in Balance Luzon, 22 percent in Metro Manila and 20 percent in Mindanao. Optimistic about peace agreement Of the 71 percent of the respondents who said they are “hopeful" that a peace agreement would be reached, 26 percent said they were “very hopeful" while 45 percent described their sentiment as “somewhat hopeful." Only 29 percent were pessimistic, including 15 percent who were “somewhat not hopeful" and 14 percent who were “not hopeful at all." Respondents from Mindanao were the most optimistic, with 85 percent of the respondents saying they were hopeful that a peace agreement would be reached (44 percent “very hopeful" and 41 percent “somewhat hopeful"). Majorities in other areas were also upbeat: 72 percent in Metro Manila, 67 percent in Balance Luzon and 64 percent in the Visayas. The pessimists included 36 percent in the Visayas, 33 percent in Balance Luzon, 28 percent in Metro Manila and 15 percent in Mindanao. August meeting Majorities across the board also agreed that Aquino and Murad’s August 4 meeting would contribute to the forging of a peace deal. They comprised 61 percent in Metro Manila, 56 percent both in Balance Luzon and the Visayas, and 51 percent in Mindanao. Those who neither agreed nor disagreed about the meeting was highest in Mindanao at 35 percent, followed by the Visayas, 26 percent; Balance Luzon, 25 percent; and Metro Manila, 20 percent. Those who disagreed comprised 18 percent in the Visayas, 17 percent in Metro Manila, 16 percent in Balance Luzon, and 13 percent in Mindanao. - VVP, GMA News