A third of Pinoys support protests in HK, SWS says

FIVE of 10 Filipinos knew of the street protests in Hong Kong that started last year, with a third of them supporting the riots, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll.

SWS found that 33% of those polled supported the demonstrations, while 35% disagreed. Another 32% were undecided.

Residents of Metro Manila and the rest of the main Luzon island were the most aware of the street protests, the polling firm said.

Support for the demonstrations was the highest in the Visayas, it said.

Hong Kong residents started street protests last year after an extradition bill was proposed allowing suspects to be tried in mainland China.

This led to concerns that the bill would subject Hong Kong residents and visitors to the jurisdiction of China and undermine the region’s autonomy and people’s civil liberties.

The Hong Kong government was forced to withdraw the bill in October.

SWS interviewed 1,200 adults in December for the poll, which had an error margin of ±3 points. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas