Are Filipinos willing to fight for their country? 

According to a new survey by OCTA Research, 77 percent of Filipinos are ready to fight for the Philippines if there is conflict between the motherland and a foreign enemy.  The survey, which was conducted last December 10-14, had 1,200 respondents. 

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the 77 percent translates to nearly 8 out of 10 Filipinos. 

"It means na yung mga kababayan natin, they love our country. Sa age group ang pinakamataas ay 45 to 54, 87% or almost 9 out of 10," he said in an interview on TeleRadyo Serbisyo. 

The survey showed that 82 percent of males said they were willing to fight for their country compared to 72 percent of females. 

Seventy-six percent of respondents from Metro Manila said they are willing to fight for the Philippines. 

David said the survey, which was commissioned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, did not specify the country that would come in conflict with the Philippines. 

The AFP said that while it is preparing for internal and external threats, "it is also important that the Filipino citizens prepare themselves." 

The public can join the Reserve Officer Training Course or the Reserve Corps to get training in military tactics, or become competent in their professions that may become useful or even vital in emergencies, such as in the medical field or in engineering, said AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Filipinos can also contribute resources or help by "echoing our call against the illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive tactics that other countries are doing against our country, particularly in the West Philippine Sea," he said. 

"The ways by which we can help defend our country, other than fighting, are only bounded 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," Brawner said.