Pay hike, inflation urgent concerns of Filipinos — Pulse Asia survey

Increase in the pay of workers and controlling inflation were the issues many Filipinos are most concerned about, a Pulse Asia survey result released Tuesday showed.

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from March 23 to 28, showed that 50 percent of the respondents believe salary increase was the most urgent issue while 45 percent think it was inflation.

Pulse Asia said the nationwide survey was based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above and a has a ± 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

"Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6 percent error margin, also at 95 percent confidence level," it added.

The number of Filipinos concerned with pay hike increased by 11 percentage points from December 2017 to March 2018.

It also increased by seven percentage points compared to the March last year.

Residents in Luzon (56 percent) and those in Class D (54 percent) were most concerned with workers’ pay while inflation was the urgent concern of those from Mindanao (53 percent), Class ABC (55 percent) and E (51 percent).

Reacting to the latest survey, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte also wants a comfortable life for all Filipinos.

"Pareho naman po ng concern yan ng ating Presidente. Mas komportableng buhay din ang gusto nating ibigay sa ating mga kababayan. So nagtutugma po ang kagustuhan ng ating mga mamamayan doon sa nais makamit ni Presidente Duterte," Roque told reporters.

Other concerns

Filipinos were also concerned with poverty reduction (35 percent) and job creation (32 percent).

Meanwhile, fighting criminality (27 percent), fighting graft and corruption in government (22 percent), and promoting peace (22 percent) comprise a third group of concerns deemed urgent by Filipinos.

Reducing the amount of taxes paid by Filipinos (15 percent), protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (13 percent), enforcing the rule of law and protecting the environment (10 percent) make up a fourth cluster of urgent national concerns.

The least concerns of Filipinos were population growth (7 percent), national territorial defense (6 percent), terrorism (4 percent), and Charter change (3 percent).

The Duterte administration enjoyed majority approval ratings on 11 of the 12 selected national issues on which its performance is evaluated in this survey except controlling inflation which was one of the top concerns of Filipinos.

The survey showed Filipinos were most appreciative of the administration’s efforts to respond to the needs of areas affected by calamities (86 percent), protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (84 percent), and fighting criminality (81 percent).

It also showed that majority approval scores are also enjoyed by the Duterte administration for its work in the areas of promoting peace, enforcing the rule of law, protecting the environment, all at 71 percent; fighting corruption in government (70 percent), increasing the pay of workers (68 percent), creating more jobs (67 percent), defending national territorial integrity (67 percent), and reducing poverty (53 percent).

The only non-majority approval rating of the administration is recorded on the issue of inflation, for which it receives a 39 percent approval rating, a 33 percent disapproval score, and a 28 percent indecision figure.

Among the issues when the survey was conducted were the filing of quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the House justice committee finding of probable cause to impeach her; the order of then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to cancel the DOJ resolution dismissing drug charges against Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, and Peter Co; and the Philippine withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

Also in the news then were the provisional acceptance of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles; the recommendation of the inter-agency task force to close Boracay for six months; filing of plunder charges against former Immigration commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, and retired police official Wenceslao Sombero Jr. — with Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News