MANILA, Philippines—Bribery remains the most widely perceived form of corruption in the Philippines, with nearly three in four adult Filipinos identifying it as the most common corrupt practice in government, according to the latest nationwide survey released by Octa Research.
The findings came from the fourth quarter 2025 Tugon ng Masa survey on public perceptions of corruption in government, conducted from December 3 to 11, 2025 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents nationwide. The poll, commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman, carries a margin of error of ±3 percent at the national level.
Survey results showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos cited bribery as the most common type of corruption. This was followed by irregularities in the use of public funds at 66 percent, vote buying at 64 percent, and slow justice at 54 percent.
Octa said these four issues consistently appeared across regions and income groups, indicating that corruption is perceived not as a localized problem but as a nationwide structural concern affecting everyday governance and public service.
While bribery ranked first overall, regional differences were observed in the ranking of other corruption types. In several areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, vote buying emerged as the second most commonly cited concern, reflecting persistent issues surrounding electoral integrity. In other regions, irregularities in the use of public funds were more prominent, pointing to localized concerns over fiscal management and procurement practices.