Inflation, Wages Top Filipino Concerns, OCTA Survey Reveals

MANILA, Philippines — Controlling basic commodity prices and increasing wages remain the most urgent national concerns of Filipinos, an OCTA Research poll showed. The July 4 to 11 survey, released a day after President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address, found that 37 percent of respondents cited inflation among their top three concerns. It went down by eight points from 45 percent in March. Other top concerns included wage hikes at 34 percent (from 33 percent) and fighting graft and corruption at 32 percent (from 26 percent). These were followed by access to affordable food (24 percent), providing free quality education (22 percent), fighting illegal drugs (14 percent), fulfilling the promise of lowering the price of rice (14 percent), creating more jobs (14 percent) and reducing poverty (12 percent). Wage hike is the primary concern of 17 percent of respondents. Continued concern over wages and salaries may indicate that income growth is perceived as lagging behind cost-of-living pressures, OCTA said.