PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s approval and trust ratings remained largely flat in the second quarter of 2026 as persistent economic concerns, corruption issues and political controversies continued to shape public sentiment, according to the latest PAHAYAG survey released by PUBLiCUS Asia on Thursday.
The survey showed Marcos' approval rating at 18 percent, down a percentage point from the previous quarter, while his trust rating slipped to 12 percent from 13 percent.
PUBLiCUS Asia said no single issue dominated public perceptions of the President's performance, with respondents citing both positive and negative developments.
Among the administration's gains, seven percent of the respondents credited the government's response to the domestic impact of Middle East tensions on food and fuel prices. Other favorable developments included Marcos' opposition to remote Senate voting, the Ombudsman's case involving former speaker Martin Romualdez, the election of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president, the hosting of the 48th Asean Summit, and proposals to lower the number of Senate votes required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in an impeachment trial.
On the other hand, concerns over the lack of accountability in high-profile cases involving Gerald Bantag, Zaldy Co and Atong Ang accounted for 14 percent of negative responses. Respondents also viewed proposals to amend the Constitution unfavorably, particularly plans to suspend the 2028 elections, extend the terms of elected officials to 2031, and raise the minimum age for presidential candidates to 50. A reported decline in foreign direct investments also weighed on public perception.
Pessimistic
The survey likewise found that public pessimism remained high despite improving expectations for household finances.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said they were pessimistic about the country's overall situation, slightly lower than the 74 percent recorded in the first quarter. More than half, or 53 percent, viewed current conditions negatively, while 51 percent believed the country was headed in the wrong direction.
In contrast, 46 percent expected their household's financial condition to improve in the next quarter, up from 34 percent previously, while those expecting it to worsen fell to 22 percent from 36 percent.
Corruption remained the public's top concern, with 29 percent saying it should be Marcos' foremost priority. Respondents also cited the rising cost of living, low wages, unemployment and the lack of job opportunities.
Filipinos were nearly evenly divided in their assessment of the economy, with 10 percent expressing positive views of the President's performance and 9 percent expressing negative views. PUBLiCUS Asia said that while the economy grew by 2.8 percent in the first quarter, inflation, unemployment and underemployment continued to temper optimism.
Half of the respondents also disapproved of the overall performance of Cabinet members, a level unchanged over the past four quarters. Disapproval was highest in Mindanao at 65 percent, followed by the National Capital Region at 54 percent.
Vice President Sara Duterte posted unchanged ratings of 28 percent approval and 26 percent trust. In his first survey as Senate president, Gatchalian received 32 percent approval and 21 percent trust ratings, while Speaker Faustino Dy III registered 13 percent approval and 8 percent trust. Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo posted 17 percent approval and 10 percent trust.
The survey also found broad support for several policy proposals, with 75 percent backing the suspension of excise taxes on LPG and kerosene, 74 percent supporting the proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, and 70 percent favoring sanctions against Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay over his remarks about actress Anne Curtis.
Among public institutions, service-oriented agencies received the highest ratings, led by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, while political institutions, particularly the Senate, ranked among the least approved and trusted.
Sen. Bam Aquino topped the favorability rankings, followed by Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan. Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ronald dela Rosa registered the highest unfavorable ratings.
The PAHAYAG Second Quarter 2026 survey was conducted from June 28 to 30 among 1,509 registered Filipino voters selected through purposive sampling from the PureSpectrum online research panel. The independent, non-commissioned survey has a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.
