Manila, July 15 -- About 45 percent of Filipinos want the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strengthened to further protect the country's rights in its vast seas, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by Stratbase Institute showed.

In a statement Wednesday, Stratbase Institute said the SWS survey was conducted on June 20-29, shortly after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. proposed that the country's defense spending be raised by as much as 4 percent of its gross domestic product to improve its capability against Chinese aggression and protect the country's maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The survey asked 1,200 respondents to identify their first and second pr...