VICE President Sara Duterte’s approval and trust ratings edged up by 1 percentage point each in the third quarter of 2026, but about five in 10 Filipinos remain dissatisfied with and distrustful of her performance, a Pahayag survey released Monday said.
The survey by Publicus Asia Inc. showed Duterte’s approval rating rising to 29 percent from 28 percent in the second quarter, while her trust rating increased to 27 percent from 26 percent.
The findings came amid continuing scrutiny of the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), including testimonies from three officials linking Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, former head of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), to the use of the funds.
The survey found that 13 percent of respondents cited the testimonies as having a negative effect on their assessment of Duterte, compared with 8 percent who said the disclosures had a positive effect.
Another 13 percent cited the position of military officials that military certification alone was insufficient to justify the DepEd’s use of confidential funds, reflecting concerns over the basis for the expenditures.
The proposed 2027 OVP budget also remained a factor in public assessments of the Vice President, with 14 percent of respondents identifying it as having a negative effect on their views.
The proposed allocation is 11.7 percent lower than the OVP’s 2026 budget, but the reduction has not eliminated the controversy surrounding the office’s confidential funds.
Calamity assistance and Duterte’s public visibility were among the factors cited positively by respondents. Twelve percent pointed to assistance provided by the OVP during calamities, while 9 percent cited the vice president’s presence and visibility.
The positive assessment linked to calamity assistance was more pronounced in Mindanao, where 21 percent cited it as a favorable factor.
Despite the mixed assessments of her performance, bravery remained the personality trait most strongly associated with Duterte, cited by 40 percent of respondents.
Concern for fellow Filipinos ranked second at 27 percent, followed by love of country at 25 percent. Being pro-poor and authenticity were each cited by 21 percent.
In contrast, nearly half of registered voters said they did not know or could not identify a defining personality trait for other top national officials.
The third-quarter 2026 Pahayag survey was conducted from Oct. 1 to 4 among 1,581 registered Filipino voters through purposive sampling.
Respondents were randomly selected from the market research panel of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with global operations and a regional office in Singapore.
The survey reported a national margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Pahayag is the corporate social responsibility initiative of Publicus Asia Inc., which has tracked key metrics since 2017. Vox Opinion Research has served as the company’s research arm since 2013.
FRANCO JOSE BAROÑA
