Inflation still most urgent concern of Pinoys – OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — Controlling the rising prices of basic goods and services remains the most urgent concern of Filipinos, a recent OCTA Research group survey showed.

The Nov. 10 to 16 survey found that 56 percent of respondents identified inflation among their three most urgent national concerns.

It went down from 66 percent in the August 2024 survey.

Access to affordable food (44 percent), increasing workers’ wages (36 percent), reducing poverty (34 percent), creating more jobs (29 percent) and providing free quality education (17 percent) followed.

Fighting graft and corruption (14 percent), defending the Philippines’ ownership of the West Philippine Sea (13 percent), fighting criminality (12 percent) and promoting peace and order (12 percent) were also included.

Eight other issues were selected by less than 10 percent of respondents: equal enforcement of the law (nine percent), controlling population growth (five percent), reducing taxes (five percent), protecting overseas Filipino workers (four percent), defending the Philippine territory’s integrity (four percent), preparing for any terrorist threat (four percent), stopping environmental destruction (three percent) and changing the Constitution (one percent).

Respondents were asked to select up to three personal concerns they deem most urgent.

Remaining healthy is the most urgent concern of about 70 percent of respondents, followed by having a secure and well-paying source of income (52 percent), finishing schooling or providing schooling for children (51 percent), having enough to eat (50 percent), avoiding being a victim of crime (39 percent), having savings (22 percent) and owning a house and lot (16 percent).

The non-commissioned Tugon ng Masa survey had 1,200 adult respondents and a three-percent margin of error.