MANILA, Philippines – Nearly all Filipinos agree with the voluntary wearing of face masks, according to the Fourth Quarter 2022 Social Weather Stations survey conducted in December but released only on Monday, March 27.

About 91% or 9 in 10 Filipinos, approve of Executive Order No. 07, making the wearing of face masks optional in indoor and outdoor settings.

Majority of the respondents or 54% said they will always use a face mask when leaving the house.

According to the survey results, 91% of Filipinos agreed with the voluntary wearing of face masks for children in face-to-face classes, while 81% said they will always make their child wear a mask when going to school.

The survey was conducted from December 10 to 14, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide. The geographical distribution of the survey was 300 people each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The margin of error are 2.8% for national percentages and 5.7% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The survey was taken two months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made wearing face masks optional – indoor and outdoor – last October 2022, effectively removing all remaining pandemic restrictions.– Rappler.com