Most Filipinos want gov’t to address inflation, prioritize workers’ pay — survey

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Image from PCOO / Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — Most Filipinos view controlling inflation, increasing workers’ pay, and reducing poverty as urgent national concerns and issues that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should prioritize, a Pulse Asia survey released Tuesday showed.

According to Pulse Asia’s June 2022 national survey, 57 percent of Filipinos view controlling the inflation rate in the country as an urgent concern that Marcos needs to prioritize.

“Amidst the spiraling cost of basic commodities, a small majority of Filipino adults (57%) say the new national administration must immediately take steps to control inflation,” Pulse Asia said.

Some 45 percent also said increasing the pay of workers is an urgent concern while 33 percent mentioned reducing the poverty of Filipinos, the survey showed.

Also included in the list of urgent concerns that Filipinos see the need to be prioritized are creating more jobs (29 percent), fighting graft and corruption in the government (20 percent), enforcing the law on all (15 percent), fighting criminality (14 percent), promoting peace in the country (14 percent), and provision of assistance to those who lost their livelihood and jobs due to COVID-19 (14 percent).

The following were also mentioned as urgent concerns:

• Addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (12 percent);
• Reducing the amount of taxes paid (9 percent);
• Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment (7 percent);
• Providing support to small entrepreneurs to restore their businesses (7 percent);
• Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners (7 percent);
• Controlling the spread of COVID-19 (7 percent);
• Protecting the welfare of OFWs (5 percent);
• Preparing to face any kind of terrorism (3 percent)

“In contrast, after more than two years since the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, only 7% of Filipino adults now say it is urgent for the present dispensation to control the spread of COVID-19,” Pulse Asia noted.

The survey was conducted from June 24 to 27, 2022 using face-to-face interviews. The nationwide survey is based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults and has a ± 2.8% error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

The respondents were asked what they view as the most urgent national concerns Marcos must address. They were allowed to give up to three responses.

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JPV