Inflation, wages still top concerns of Pinoys – OCTAVendors sell various vegetables at a market along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on January 6, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — Controlling basic commodity prices and increasing wages remain the most urgent national concerns of Filipinos, an OCTA Research poll showed. The July 4 to 11 survey, released a day after President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address, found that 37 percent of respondents cited inflation among their top three concerns. Other top concerns included wage hikes at 34 percent (from 33 percent) and fighting graft and corruption at 32 percent (from 26 percent). Continued concern over wages and salaries may indicate that income growth is perceived as lagging behind cost-of-living pressures, OCTA said.