A majority of Filipino adults (56%) believe that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should prioritize economic issues, particularly by reducing the prices of rice and other food products.
In a distant second, 31% of respondents want the government to tackle corruption, indicating a desire for both economic relief and good governance, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
In the latest survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group, results showed that the concern to reduce price of food products is more pronounced Mindanao (61%) and Visayas (59%), followed by Balance Luzon (55%), while NCR (44%) while Mindanao registered the lowest level of concern.
According to SWS, these results suggest that concern over food prices in rural areas (57%) is stronger compared to those in urban centers (54%), underscoring how inflation continues to hit poorer communities the hardest.
Meanwhile, addressing corruption in government ranked second overall, with concerns peaking in Metro Manila (45%), followed by Balance Luzon (32%) and the Visayas (31%). Mindanao had the lowest concern at 19%. This result reflects a nationwide apprehension regarding the misuse of public funds.
“This survey highlights the urgent reality that Filipinos are still struggling to afford basic food. The more they cannot afford the price of basic food like rice, the more they will ask for concrete reforms on corruption—issues that the President himself has flagged to the Filipino public,” said Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, President of the Stratbase Group.
The survey also revealed that other issues that Filipinos believe deserve government attention include providing adequate education (7%) and improving healthcare facilities (4%), while 3% of respondents said they did not know enough to give an opinion.
The Stratbase Group noted that the results reflect a growing public demand for responsive leadership that delivers both tangible economic outcomes and clean governance.
The nationwide survey was conducted from September 24 to 30, with 1,500 respondents aged 18 and above, and has a margin of error of ±3%.
