Nine out of 10 Filipinos agreed that the private sector plays a crucial role in accelerating economic growth, according to a Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group.

The nationwide survey conducted from Sept. 17 to 21, 2022 with 1,200 respondents also found that most Filipinos agreed that the government and the private sector should engage in partnership to sustain the country’s recovery.

According to Pulse Asia’s survey, 46 percent of respondents across the country strongly agreed and another 41 percent somewhat agreed that the private sector plays a crucial role in accelerating economic growth.

Only 3 percent disagreed while 11 percent could not say whether they do.

Meanwhile, 89 percent were convinced that the government and the private sector should be partners in economic recovery—with 62 percent strongly agreeing and 27 percent somewhat agreeing.

Only 1 percent of respondents disagreed, while 10 percent are undecided.

“The sentiments of the people as reflected in this latest survey is a strong impetus for the administration of President Marcos Jr. to strengthen developmental engagements and further empower the private sector to drive economic growth and strengthen competitiveness,” Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, Stratbase Group founder and CEO, said in a statement.

“A sustained, committed partnership between the government and the private sector will be a game-changer in our recovery and realize inclusive prosperity for our people,” he also said.

Manhit added: “We have always been pushing for a heightened, constructive and sustained engagement between the government and private sector because of their complementary roles, strengths, resources, and forward-looking perspectives.”

In the same survey, most Filipinos are more inclined to believe that the private sector can help in boosting the Philippine economy in several ways—the most prominent of which are creating jobs (69 percent), helping uplift the lives of Filipinos out of poverty (65 percent), expanding livelihood opportunities (49 percent) and improving healthcare systems (37 percent).

“What is even more instructive here is that there was a significant increase in how respondents, notably nationwide and in the National Capital Region, perceive the importance of addressing unemployment and poverty,” Manhit said.

In particular, there are only 58 percent for whom job creation is a form of private sector collaboration in December 2021.

“In nine months’ time, even more Filipinos are convinced creating jobs was a primary concern, hence the 11-percentage-point jump to 69 percent nationwide,” Manhit said.

Other areas of cooperation identified in the survey were improving the quality of and access to digital services (27 percent nationwide), managing natural resources and taking care of the environment (19 percent), developing public infrastructure (16 percent), and improving the quality of education (12 percent).

“The Marcos administration should not drop the ball at this point. There is no more excuse not to aggressively pursue public-private collaboration,” Manhit said.

“Given how Filipinos value the potential of a partnership with the private sector in key areas of our economic outlook, our government leaders must act on this great potential by creating the most conducive environment that would attract the right investments and strategic partnerships through good governance, stable regulatory policies, and a keen attention to upgrading the skills of the Filipino workforce,” he added.