THE universal social pension for senior citizens and enhanced cybersecurity and data privacy measures for all government agencies earned the highest approval ratings among all national issues, with 90 percent of respondents in favor, survey shows.
Conducted from June 15 to 19, Publicus Asia’s Pahayag second quarter survey revealed the public’s strong support for policies aimed at improving social welfare and securing sensitive government information.
Social pension and cybersecurity were closely followed by a second group of issues (81 percent approval) revolving around peace and order, including the passage of the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act and the Senate probe into an illegal drug seizure in Alitagtag, Batangas, last April.
The proposed abolition of Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) and the arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy earned the nod of 75 percent of the respondents randomly drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 registered Filipino voters maintained by the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with multinational presence.
Meanwhile, inflation remains a critical concern, with 81 percent of Filipinos supporting the revival of the National Food Authority-Food Terminal Inc.-Kadiwa system to better connect farmers with marketplaces, providing consumers with affordable agricultural products.
A third tier of issues, each approved by about 70 percent of respondents, include proposals to revert the school calendar to the June to March period, adjustment of working hours for local government units in Metro Manila to ease traffic congestion and consolidation of various government aid programs into a single National Family Stipend Program.
A mixed sentiment was observed regarding the ayuda (aid) program. About half of Filipinos view it positively as a means to assist fellow citizens (47 percent), while a significant portion, or 43 percent, perceive it as susceptible to abuse.
In terms of coverage, only 23 percent of Filipinos report receiving government aid or assistance in the past two years, with a high concentration in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Among the recipients, 43 percent said that government aid helped improve their quality of life, while the remaining 51 percent felt there was no change at all.
The fourth group of issues, on the other hand, supported by around 60 percent of Filipinos, encompasses a mix of topics such as restricting electronic gadgets during classes (which is less favored by the 18-24 age group), an inquiry into the P47.6 billion budget transfer from the Department of Health to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management during the Covid-19 pandemic, economic provisions for constitutional change, a court order for the arrest of Quiboloy, and a bill allowing the National Food Authority to import rice.
With a roughly 50 percent approval rating, the fifth group includes an inquiry into the “gentlemen’s agreement” between former president Rodrigo Duterte and China and the passage of the Divorce Bill.
The sixth group, with around 40 percent approval, covers issues such as the imposition of a 12 percent VAT on foreign digital services, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), banning potentially threatening apps, replacing Philippine National Police (PNP) officials in Davao City with Special Action Force (SAF) personnel, and the preventive suspension of local chief executives supporting the Maisug rallies.
The last set of concerns, with the least approval, features persistent issues lacking resolution or appearing outdated. These include Charter change through people’s initiative (34 percent), disputes in the West Philippine Sea (32 percent), rising commodity prices (15 percent), the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte as education secretary (32 percent), International Criminal Court actions against former president Duterte and others (31 percent), and blocking of the Maisug Peace Rally (27 percent).
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