MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte's approval and trust ratings dropped in the first quarter of 2026, according to a non-commissioned survey released on Wednesday.
Marcos' approval and trust ratings fell from 22 percent to 19 percent and 15 percent to 13 percent respectively while Duterte's approval and trust ratings fell from from 34 percent to 28 percent and 31 percent to 26 percent, based on Pahayag 2026, a non-commissioned survey, under PUBLiCus Asia.
Dissatisfaction with flood control accountability, handling of his predecessor’s International Criminal Court (ICC) case, and rising fuel prices were cited against Marcos while Duterte's marks were influenced by the impeachment complaints against her and ICC developments involving her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte who is detained at The Hague for crimes against humanity linked to his campaign against drugs.
Senate President Tito Sotto with a 23 percent and 14 percent approval and trust ratings ranked second to Duterte who remained the government official with the highest ratings despite the drop. Next was Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy, with 11 percent approval, 6 percent trust ratings and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, with 16 percent approval and 10 percent trust ratings.
Among the government agencies which rated high were Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), with 65 percent approval and 45 percent trust ratings, followed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), 55 percent approval and 39 percent trust ratings and the Bangko Senral ng Pilipinas (BSP), 53 percent approval and 37 percent trust ratings. Political and infrastructure institutions, such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the House of Representatives registered the lowest public ratings.
The first quarter 2026 survey of Pahayag from March 21 to 24, 2026 sampled 1,509 registered Filipino voters through the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace. The survey tracks seven key modules: state of the country and economy, national issues, macro and micro concerns, approval and trust ratings of leaders and institutions, emotional perception of leaders, performance of elected officials, and media consumption habits.
