FILIPINOS do not expect any change in the economy despite the declaration of martial law in Mindanao at the moment but think that it may get worse, according to a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey. The poll on 1,200 adults nationwide from June 23 to 26 showed that 43 percent were “neutral” about the effects of martial law in Mindanao on the general economy, although that neutrality bordered on the “negative”. “Thus, opinions are clearly unfavorable among the large minority 40 percent wanting a more limited geographic scope for Martial Law,” SWS said. In another release earlier this July, SWS said more Filipinos supported Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao. In a joint session on Saturday, Congress voted to extend martial law until December 31 as security forces struggled to flush out the Islamist extremists with daily airstrikes and combat operations.

Source: Manila Times July 26, 2017 05:37 UTC