By Brian Jules Campued
Majority of Filipinos were satisfied with several government programs including infrastructure projects, disaster response, protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as well as quality healthcare and education; but were dissatisfied with efforts against rising prices, an OCTA Research survey revealed.
Based on the results of 2023 Tugon ng Masa (TNM) nationwide survey released Sunday, 81% of Filipinos approved the national government’s efforts on public infrastructure; followed by disaster response and protecting OFWs (77%), providing quality healthcare and education, (75%), and improving foreign relations (72%).
On the other hand, 75% of Pinoys expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s efforts in controlling the prices of basic goods or managing inflation despite the continuous slowing down of headline inflation since October last year.
Respondents also said they were not satisfied with the administration’s performance in addressing the following issues: reducing poverty (46%), ensuring food security (32%), creating more jobs (31%), and fighting graft and corruption (26%).
Meanwhile, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the administration is boosting its efforts to manage price increases.
He added that the government is already making strides in realizing substantial foreign direct investments which will generate more and higher-quality jobs that will raise the incomes and purchasing power of Filipinos.
“The Cabinet has taken to heart the President’s directives by ensuring that the necessary policies are in place: we are facilitating massive investments in physical and human capital to create better jobs and improve our economy’s competitiveness while deploying the entire arsenal of policy tools to make food available, accessible, and affordable to the Filipino people,” said Balisacan.
The TNM poll was conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2023 through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 years old and above.
The survey has a ±3% margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. – avds
