Gov’t addressing national urgent concerns of Filipinos, Palace says

April 11, 2017

The Duterte administration is addressing the urgent concerns raised by the Filipinos in a recent survey, a Palace official said on Tuesday. A Pulse Asia survey in March showed the most urgent national concerns of Filipinos include increasing salaries of workers (43 percent), controlling inflation (41 percent), and generation of jobs (39 percent). "The survey coincides with PRRD's (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's) priorities of serving the nation's interests which have been long neglected," said Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella in a statement. He said concerns by respondents in the survey were among priorities of the government as highlighted in the 10-point socioeconomic agenda of the President, embodied in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, to equalize opportunities for human development. "The President is particularly concerned for the poor, excluded and underserved. To ensure that regionally and locally the economies serve the interests of the many and not just the few, the administration is increasing spending on infrastructure and social welfare protection, improving ease of doing business and creating more jobs," Abella said. Abella said the government is on the "right track" amid the latest economic developments, such as the strengthening of the peso to the US dollar, improvement of the stock market, increased foreign direct investments and affirmation of Fitch Ratings on the country's credit rating. "What all this highlights is the Duterte administration's economic team is on the right track in economic construction and that investors remain optimistic on the growth trajectory of the Philippine economy based on our sound economic fundamentals," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS