The latest Pulse Asia survey revealed that one of the top concerns of Filipinos is the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The poll, conducted from March 23 to 28, 2018, showed that 13 percent of respondents cited protection of the rights of OFWs as an urgent national issue. This is 7 percent increase from results gathered last year.
The survey was conducted one month after President Rodrigo Duterte banned deployment of first-time OFWs to Kuwait following the death of Joanna Demafelis whose body was found stuffed inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment.
This, alongside multiple reports of abuse towards OFWs in the Gulf state, prompted the Philippine government to draft a labor agreement between the two parties that seeks to protect the rights of OFWs.
Meanwhile, other issues deemed as urgent national issues by the respondents include wage increase (50 percent), controlling inflation (45 percent), reducing poverty (35 percent) and creating more jobs (32 percent), and fighting criminality (27 percent).
