The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) expressed appreciation to Filipinos who pledged their willingness to fight for the country in case of a conflict with a foreign enemy, noting that the people shall be prepared when that time comes.

General Romeo Brawner Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, took note of a recent survey conducted by polling firm Octa Research saying that 77 percent of Filipinos are willing to defend the Philippines in the event of a conflict with a foreign enemy.

"While the AFP is modernizing and continuously preparing to address any threat, whether internal or external, it is also important that the Filipino citizens prepare themselves," he said on Monday, March 11.

"The ways by which we can help defend our country, other than fighting, are only [bound] by our imagination. Let us take the result of the survey as a call to action and prepare for when we are called upon by the government to defend the State," he added.

The military chief said there are "many ways" to show one's patriotism.

One of these, he noted, is by undergoing the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) or by joining the Reserve Corps "in order to be trained in military tactics."

Further, another way is through making one's self competent in their profession so that they may become useful or vital in case of emergencies, such as in the medical field or in engineering.

"Individuals or organizations may also contribute resources to the military's overall defensive campaign such as ships, airplanes, etc.," Brawner said.

Lastly, he stressed that the Filipinos may also help the AFP in informing the public around the world and echoing their call against the "illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive tactics" that other countries are doing against the Philippines particularly in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

This appeared to be a subtle jab at China which has been accused of escalating tension in the WPS through the conduct of "dangerous maneuvers".

Last March 5, four Philippine personnel were hurt when China Coast Guard (CCG) ships sailed dangerously close, collided, and fired water cannons at AFP-chartered boats and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels during a resupply mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Based on the Fourth Quarter "Tugon ng Masa" survey conducted by Octa Research from Dec. 10 to 14, 2023, the results of which were released last March 10, a total of 77 percent of adult Filipinos said they were "ready to fight for the country if there is a conflict between the Philippines and a foreign enemy."

Meanwhile, 23 percent of the respondents disagreed.

The survey was made through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult respondents nationwide. It has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.