FILIPINOS are split on whether the country would benefit from the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and if it would end up in corruption or not, a March 26 to 23 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The SWS survey, which involved 1,200 adult respondents nationwide and had a margin of error of ±2.8 percent, was released Thursday, just a day after Malacañang announced that it has received the enrolled copy of the MIF bill.
President Marcos Jr. has yet to sign the bill into law, pending a review by his legal team.
SWS said that 51 percent of the respondents believes the proposed sovereign wealth fund will have little to no benefit to the public if it is enacted into law.
On the other hand, 46 percent the measure will benefit the country.
This resulted in a net benefit score of -5 (percent of benefit minus percent of not benefit).
Those who do not expect any benefits from the Maharlika bill was highest in Mindanao (59 percent [not benefit] versus 39 [will benefit]), and the Visayas (55 percent [not benefit] versus 44 percent [will benefit]).
Those who believe that the legislation will be beneficial to the country was highest in Metro Manila (50 percent will benefit, 49 percent not benefit), and Luzon (49 percent will benefit, 47 not benefit).
SWS said public opinion was likewise split on whether the implementation and handling of the Maharlika fund will end up in corruption, with 38 percent still undecided, 32 percent very confidence it will not end in corruption, and 30 percent with little to no confidence it will not end in corruption.
Confidence that it will not end in corruption was highest in Visayas (38 percent confidence, 31 percent no confidence) and Luzon (32 percent confidence, 28 percent no confidence), followed by Metro Manila (28 percent confidence, 31 percent no confidence) and Mindanao
(27 percent confidence, 30 percent no confidence).
The survey firm also found that only two in 10 Filipinos or 20 percent have partial (15 percent) to extensive knowledge (5 percent) about the MIF, while 33 percent have “only a little” knowledge and 47 percent have “almost nothing to no knowledge” about it.
Knowledge about the Maharlika Fund was highest in Metro Manila (29 percent partial to extensive knowledge, 33 percent little knowledge, 38 percent no knowledge) and Luzon (24 percent partial to extensive knowledge, 34 percent little knowledge, 42 percent no knowledge) followed by the Visayas (14 percent partial to extensive knowledge, 33 percent little knowledge, 53 percent no knowledge) and Mindanao (10 percent partial to extensive knowledge, 34 percent little knowledge, 56 percent no knowledge).
The survey questions about the Maharlika Investment Fund were non-commissioned and were released Thursday afternoon as a public service, the SWS said.
