MANILA, Philippines — More than half of registered voters say they would unlikely vote for lawmakers and local government officials found to have been involved in the flood control scandal, while the biggest group wants a broader investigation into the alleged irregularities, a survey by PAHAYAG found.
The nationwide poll conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. from Oct. 1 to 4, 2026 found that 55 percent of respondents would unlikely vote for lawmakers proven to have been involved in the controversy. The same proportion expressed an unwillingness to vote for an implicated local government official in the 2028 national and local elections.
The findings suggest potential electoral consequences for officials linked to the alleged irregularities, although respondents' stated intentions do not necessarily predict how they will vote.
On the investigation, 38 percent of respondents favored expanding the partial report into a comprehensive probe covering all individuals, government agencies, contractors and groups that may have been involved.
Another 19 percent said cases should be filed based on the partial report's findings rather than waiting for a broader investigation, while 14 percent favored continuing the Senate investigation through its Blue Ribbon Committee.
The survey also found that voters attributed responsibility for the controversy to officials at the highest levels of government.
Thirty-five percent identified President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., either jointly with the Speaker and Senate president, as having the greatest responsibility for the alleged irregularities with 47 percent saying the chief executive bears the weight alone under the principle of command responsibility.
Government officials in implementing agencies and contractors were also identified as accountable by 19 percent and 13 percent of respondents, respectively.
About 25 percent of respondents associated government agencies with project implementation and monitoring, 24 percent linked contractors to project execution while 23 to 24 percent look to reports and evidence presented during investigations as basis for identifying accountability.
The potential electoral backlash was particularly pronounced in the National Capital Region, where 64 percent said they would not vote for officials implicated in the controversy.
Among Generation X respondents, 61 percent said they would not vote for an implicated member of the House of Representatives, while 63 percent expressed the same position toward implicated local government officials.
Baby Boomers registered the highest stated rejection, with 68 percent saying they would not vote for an implicated congressman or congresswoman and 71 percent saying the same of an implicated local government official.
Concerns over 2027 budget
The survey also found concerns about the proposed 2027 national budget, with 35 percent of respondents worried that a substantial portion could be lost to corruption, misuse or improper spending.
Such concerns were higher in the National Capital Region at 40 percent and North-Central Luzon at 37 percent. By age group, Baby Boomers registered the highest level of concern at 42 percent, followed by Millennials at 37 percent and Generation X at 35 percent.
Another 22 percent worried that the budget could be used to favor certain candidates or the administration in the 2028 elections.
In contrast, 13 percent believed the budget would primarily fund priority sectors and essential public services, including education, health and social welfare. Another 12 percent said it would support government programs and services, but that the benefits might remain insufficient or not be widely felt by the public.
The PAHAYAG Public Opinion Quarterly survey for the third quarter of 2026 covered 1,581 registered Filipino voters from Oct. 1 to 4. Respondents were selected from the PureSpectrum market research panel through purposive sampling.
The survey release reported a national margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Because the survey used a nonprobability sampling method, however, the reported margin of error should be interpreted with caution.
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.
