Inflation still top concern in Mindanao; drugs, crime rank higher in regional priorities

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 March) — Inflation remains the most urgent issue for Mindanawons, but concerns over illegal drugs, criminality, and support for farmers are rising in the region, according to a Pulse Asia survey released this week.

The series of fuel price hikes because of the war launched by the US and Israel on Iran is expected to further drive inflation up. Photo taken Tuesday (17 March 2026) in Iligan City. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

The survey — conducted from February 27 to March 2 — found that 62% of respondents in Mindanao identified inflation as a top concern, close to the nationwide figure of 59%.

However, beyond inflation, regional priorities diverge: concern over the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs (41%) and criminality (31%) ranks significantly higher in Mindanao than nationwide, where only 21% and 17% of Filipinos, respectively, cited these as urgent issues.

This places both issues among Mindanao’s most pressing concerns.

Urgency and political narratives

Earlier Pulse Asia data have shown consistently high approval and trust ratings for Vice President Sara Duterte in Mindanao, reflecting strong regional support for the Duterte family.

Issues that resonate more strongly in Mindanao — such as illegal drugs and criminality — are closely associated with the Duterte administration’s political messaging and policy focus. Read alongside this survey, this suggests that what people consider urgent can shape how leadership is viewed.

This gestures towards an alignment between public concern and political narratives, where priorities and perceptions reinforce and are reinforced by one another.

Gap between priorities and performance

At the national level, the survey highlights a consistent pattern: the issues Filipinos consider to be most urgent are also those where dissatisfaction with government performance is highest.

A majority of Filipinos (73%) disapprove of the administration’s handling of inflation — the country’s top concern.

Majorities also expressed disapproval of efforts to fight illegal drugs (68%), address corruption (67%), reduce poverty (53%), and reduce taxes and fight criminality (46% each).

Meanwhile, the only issue where the administration receives majority approval is in the protection of overseas Filipino workers (53%) — an issue only 3% of respondents identified as urgent.

For Mindanao, this overlap is particularly visible: inflation, illegal drugs, and criminality — all among the region’s top concerns — are also areas where national disapproval remains high. (Bea Gatmaytan / MindaNews)