Marcos admin gets -11 net rating on addressing inflation as end of first 100 days looms — Pulse Asia

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 6) — The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received mostly positive ratings in addressing various national issues, except in controlling the increasing prices of basic commodities, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed.

According to the survey conducted from Sept. 17-21, the new administration got high net approval ratings in 12 out of 13 national issues. Its highest net rating was +75 for responding in calamity-hit areas.

However, the national government received a -11 net approval rating for its performance in addressing inflation, which further jumped to 6.9% in September - the highest in four years.

The survey also showed that 66% of adults agreed that the issue of controlling inflation is an urgent concern. This is the prevailing view in all geographic areas and socio-economic classes, the polling firm noted.

The last time inflation hit the same rate was in September and October 2018 amid the rice crisis, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, among the factors that could push inflation higher include "elevated global non-oil prices, the continued shortage in domestic fish supply, the sharp increase in the price of sugar, and pending petitions for transport fare hikes."

Other urgent concerns that topped the list include increasing the pay of workers (44%), job creation (45%), and reducing poverty (34%).

On the other hand, only a few Filipino adults expressed concern on other national issues: providing support to small businesses (9%), environmental protection (9%), promoting peace (8%), reducing taxes (7%), controlling the spread of COVID-19 (5%), defending territorial integrity (5%), protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (4%), and dealing with terrorism (2%).

The latest non-commissioned survey was conducted by Pulse Asia through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 years and above nationwide. It has a ± 2.8% error margin at 95% confidence level.