President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has assured the public that the government has taken measures to keep prices of food and essential goods stable amid recent calamities.
In a Palace press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Officer Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government is carrying out a whole-of-government approach to ensure price stability in the wake of the recent calamities that affected the country.
“Sa gitna ng sunud-sunod na sakuna na naitala sa bansa, sinisiguro ngayon ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa publiko ang pagkakaroon ng mga hakbang na makakatulong sa pagpapatibay sa presyo ng mga bilihin sa bansa,” Castro said.
The Palace assurance was made as a Pulse Asia survey showed that inflation and corruption remain the foremost concerns of Filipinos in September 2025, with wages and crimes belonging in the list, a survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed.
In the latest Ulat ng Bayan poll, results showed that over half of Filipino adults (54%) still see inflation as the leading concern, while 51% cite the need of the current administration to fight graft and corruption immediately.
This was followed in distant third place by increasing the pay of workers (37%), which is followed by a set of issues that includes fighting criminality (23%).
As part of the whole-of-government effort, Castro said President Marcos ordered government agencies to provide support for calamity-affected farmers to ensure early recovery and secure the country’s food supply.
“Sa gitna ng sama ng panahon, nagsagawa ang administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. ng mga iba’t ibang intervention para maprotektahan ang purchasing power at livelihood ng mga residenteng apektado ng mga sakuna,” said the Palace official.
According to Castro, Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto assured continued relief and rehabilitation efforts for calamity victims, especially for affected farmers.
“Dagdag ng Kalihim na makakaasa ang taumbayan na nakaagapay ang pamahalaan sa pangunguna ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. upang masiguro na abot-kaya ang presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin lalo na sa lubos na nangangailangan,” said Castro.
On the part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Castro said the agency imposed a price freeze on basic commodities in disaster-affected communities to prevent sudden price hikes and supply shortage.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA), extended immediate assistance to farmers and fisherfolk, such as rice stock distribution from the National Food Authority (NFA), access to quick response fund (QRF) for rehabilitation and recovery, as well as indemnification for insured farmers.
Castro said around 1 million rice farmers are expected to receive PhP7,000 each in assistance under the 2026 national budget to make up for lost income due to low prices of palay.
In terms of ensuring energy supply, Castro said the Department of Energy (DOE) will auction at least 100 megawatts of renewable energy capacity under the open and competitive selection process for local and foreign developers.
The Pulse Asia survey said the call to end corruption was more pronounced in Balance Luzon (56%) and Visayas (55%), followed by NCR (50%), while Mindanao being the lowest at (39%).
The survey also revealed that many adults are critical of the current administration’s performance on four key issues: reducing poverty (57%), combating illegal drugs (61%), controlling inflation (64%), and addressing government corruption (69%).
Meanwhile, a small majority of Filipino adults (58%) view the government’s efforts to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) positively.
The administration received more mixed opinions on its response to calamity-affected areas (46%), national territorial integrity (43%), and support for farmers (39%).
The face-to-face survey was conducted from September 27 to 30 with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above. The sampling error margin is ± 2.8% error margin at the 95% confidence level.
Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins at 95% confidence level: ± 5.7% for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. With Katrina Manubay
