Filipinos want corruption, particularly the investigation and accountability efforts involving those linked to the flood control projects scandal, to be among the key issues addressed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, according to a Pulse Asia survey.
The fight against corruption ranked as the top issue that Filipinos want the President to discuss, with 29.8% of respondents saying they want corruption-related concerns raised during his annual address.
The flood control scandal ranked second among issues Filipinos want addressed, with 18.9% seeking updates on the investigation and accountability efforts.
This was followed by calls for more affordable prices of basic commodities at 18.7%.
Other issues respondents want President Marcos to discuss include job creation and livelihood opportunities, solutions to poverty, and the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Among other concerns cited by at least 1% of respondents were anti-corruption initiatives in general (10.9%), jobs and livelihood opportunities (6.6%), poverty (6.2%), and illegal drugs (5.5%).
The survey also found that 5.1% of respondents want the President to address low wages, while 4.9% cited high fuel prices, 4.0% agricultural issues, 2.8% criminality, 2.0% the state of education, and 1.6% the fulfillment of presidential promises.
Meanwhile, 1.2% of respondents want the continuation of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte to be discussed in the SONA.
The issue of juvenile justice, following recent school-related violence incidents, was cited by 1.0% of respondents. The same percentage also mentioned Senate leadership concerns and the welfare of senior citizens.
The fight against corruption ranked as the top concern across most demographic groups. It was the leading issue in Metro Manila with 35.0%, the rest of Luzon with 32.7%, Mindanao with 29.7%, and among respondents from Class ABC with 42.1% and Class D with 29.6%.
In the Visayas, affordable prices of basic commodities topped the list at 22.7%, followed by corruption at 19.3%.
Among respondents from Class E, the leading concerns were affordable goods at 23.8%, poverty at 15.9%, and corruption at 13.8%.
The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from June 28 to July 3 through face-to-face interviews with 2,400 Filipino adults aged 18 and above. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
(Photo courtesy: Pulse Asia)
