Majority of Filipinos want the Duterte administration to focus on increasing the wages of workers, controlling prices of commodities, and reducing poverty, a recent Pulse Asia survey has revealed.
In its March 2018 Ulat ng Bayan survey released on Tuesday, most Filipinos think that increasing workers’ wages and controlling inflation are the most urgent national issues that the Duterte government should address with 50 percent and 45 percent, respectively.
These are followed by reducing poverty of many Filipinos and creating more jobs with 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
Filipinos also believe fighting criminality (27 percent), fighting graft and corruption in government (22 percent), and promoting peace (22 percent) are important national concerns.
The nationwide survey, Pulse Asia said, was conducted from March 23 to 28, when the following issues dominated the headlines: the Solicitor General filing of a quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno; former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s order to review the dismissal of drug charges against alleged drug lords Peter Lim and Kerwin Espinosa; and President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
It is based on a sample of 1,200 adult respondents, 18 years old and above, and has an error margin of plus-minus 3 percent at 95 percent confidence level.
Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey — including Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – have an error margin of plus-minus 6 percent also at 95 percent confidence level.
Economic issues
According to the survey, more Filipinos believe that the government should act to improve these economic issues.
Increasing wages posted the most increase with 11 percentage points from 39 percent in December 2017.
Controlling inflation likewise increased 2 percentage points from 43 percent, and reducing poverty with 5 percentage points from 30 percent in the same period.
Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the government shared the same concern with the majority of Filipinos and assured the public that President Duterte was committed to give a comfortable life to Filipinos.
“Pareho naman po ng concern iyan ng ating President ‘di ba? Mas komportableng buhay din ang gusto nating ibigay sa ating mga kababayan. So nagtutugma po ang kagustuhan ng ating mamamayan doon sa nais makamit ni Presidente Duterte,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.
(That is also the concern of the President, isn’t it? We also want to give a comfortable life to our countrymen. So the wish of the public is what the President wants to achieve.) /kga, je