SPENDING power and inflation remain the leading concerns of Filipinos, and the government rated poorly in terms of controlling the latter, but majorities approved of the administration’s handling on many other issues, according to the findings of the Pulse Asia survey.
The polling firm’s Ulat ng Bayan survey, conducted between March 23 and 28, identified the top concerns of Filipinos as the need to increase salaries (cited by 50% of respondents), inflation (45%), poverty reduction (35%), job creation (32%), and reducing crime (27%).
Other concerns were fighting corruption and promoting peace (tied at 22%), reducing taxes (15%), protecting overseas workers (13%), enforcing the rule of law and protecting the environment (tied at 10%).
The fewest respondents cited as their leading concern terrorism (4%) and Charter change (3%).
“Public concern about the need to increase the pay of workers and protect the welfare of (Overseas Filipino Workers) become more pronounced between December 2017 and March 2018 while levels of concern about fighting corruption in government and enforcing the rule of law decline during the same period,” Pulse Asia said.
Meanwhile, majorities approved the government’s handling of: calamity relief (86%), the protection of overseas workers (84%), fighting crime (81%), promoting peace (71%), enforcing the rule of law (71%), protecting the environment (71%), increasing worker pay (68%), fighting corruption (70%), creating more jobs (67%), defending national territorial integrity (67%) and reducing poverty (53%).
Only a minority approved of the government’s handling of inflation (39%), and Pulse Asia noted a 12 percentage point increase in the level of disapproval from the last survey.
Inflation hit 4.3% in March, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said the issues cited in the survey were the administration’s own concerns as well.
“A more comfortable life is what we want to provide to our fellow Filipinos. So what our citizens want lines ups with what President Rodrigo R. Duterte wants to achieve,” he said in Filipino. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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