Jobs, education top concerns of voters

The next Philippine president who will be elected on May 10 should prioritize job creation and education, a United Nations survey released on Thursday showed.

Based on the “I Vote for Millennium Development Goals [MDG]” survey conducted by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC), 7,109 of the 7,376 respondents identified creating jobs by providing equal opportunities to both males and females, and to skilled and unskilled workers as their primary concern. This was followed by improving education by building more schools and hiring more teachers to enable children to at least finish elementary education.

Not far behind in the concerns of the respondents is the need for the government to strengthen and implement laws and regulations that will protect the environment, followed by providing decent housing for the poor and providing potable drinking water to communities that need it.

Leonor Magtolis Briones, lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines (SWP), noted that the survey is a solid proof that people really lack economic opportunities and that the basic social services being delivered to them are not enough.

“The challenge for the next president is to ensure that the budget for the MDG programs are actually released and utilized so that he can deliver what the people need, especially with their increased vulnerability because of climate change and the global systemic crisis,” Briones said.

Relevant to MDG goals

The MDG or Millennium Development Goals are time-bound, concrete and specific goals aimed at significantly reducing, if not decisively eradicating, extreme poverty by 2015. The eight MDGs are: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

The “I Vote for MDG” survey was conducted as part of the Stand United, Fight Poverty (Stand Up Campaign) to convince leaders of both rich and poor countries to prioritize the achievement of the MDGs. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to push the next Philippine president to create an MDG Breakthrough Plan. –LLANESCA T. PANTI Reporter, Manila Times