President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not alarmed by the recent Pulse Asia survey results showing that more than half of Filipinos are ‘critical’ of the government’s efforts to curb inflation and corruption.
This was according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during a briefing in Malacañang.
‘Well, first of all, if they are conducting a survey, the President is not alarmed by the numbers,’ she responded in Filipino when asked for a reaction on the survey results.
‘The President continues to work hard to further combat corruption in our country, and he has also previously stated that ratings should not be based solely on one survey,’ Castro added speaking in Filipino.
Aside from inflation and corruption, respondents were also critical of the administration’s efforts to reduce poverty and curb the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs.
This, Castro said, is already being addressed by the administration.
‘When it comes to drugs, we can see that many illegal drugs are being intercepted and seized, and these are being reported. So, we just need to look into where this report is coming from and why some people are still not satisfied with the efforts of the PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency] and the PNP [Philippine National Police] in combating illegal drugs],’ said Castro.
On the issue of poverty, Castro mentioned a recent report showing a decline in the unemployment rate.
‘That is part of the government’s efforts to help prevent poverty among our fellow citizens. The DSWD has also taken action to help reduce hunger in our country. These are just some of the government’s projects aimed at lowering the poverty rate nationwide,’ she said in Filipino.
In a Pulse Asia poll conducted in late September among 1,200 adults, 64 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of inflation.
Meanwhile, 69 percent were critical of its efforts to combat graft and corruption in government. /jpv