A sweeping majority of Filipinos want the newly elected members of Congress to give top priority to improving education access, according to the latest national survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The poll, carried out from May 2 to 6 and commissioned by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, found that nearly 9 out of 10 Filipinos believe improving educational accessibility, including strengthening the public school system, expanding scholarships and enhancing vocational training, should be “definitely prioritized” by lawmakers.
In the Senate, 87% of respondents said education should be “definitely prioritized,” while 11% said it should be “somewhat prioritized.”
Similarly, education topped the list of priorities for members of the House of Representatives, with 86% of Filipinos saying it should be “definitely prioritized” and 15% saying it should be “somewhat prioritized.”
The strong support for educational reform comes amid data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which revealed that 5.58 million Filipinos with at least a junior high school education are considered “functionally illiterate,” meaning they lack basic comprehension skills.
Agriculture, health care next in line
Following education, support for the agriculture sector ranked second, with respondents calling for increased subsidies, farmer training, and market access to boost food security. The agriculture agenda received 83% “definitely prioritized” and 14 % “somewhat prioritized” ratings for the Senate, and 84% and 13%, respectively, for the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, 82 % of Filipinos said both chambers of Congress should prioritize investing in health care systems to provide affordable services and strengthen public health infrastructure.
Social welfare and wages
Expanding social welfare programs for low-income families ranked next, with 79% saying the Senate should “definitely prioritize” it, and 8 % saying the same for the House.
In addition, 74% of respondents said the Senate should prioritize increasing the minimum wage to ensure fair compensation and boost workers’ purchasing power, while 80% expressed the same view for the House.
Other key legislative priorities include: Job creation: 73% (Senate), 76% (House) Price control measures: 71% (Senate), 78% (House) and Governance reforms: 67% (Senate), 72% (House)
The survey interviewed 1,800 registered voters nationwide through face-to-face interviews: 300 in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon (areas outside the capital), 300 in the Visayas and 300 in Mindanao.