Marcos’ approval and trust ratings rise; Duterte still most trusted despite drop in Q1

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. continued to face widespread disapproval and distrust even as his ratings improved in the first quarter, Pulse Asia reported, while Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio maintained majority support despite a decline.

A nationwide survey by Pulse Asia Research, Inc., conducted from Feb. 27 to March 2, found that 45% of Filipino adults disapprove of Mr. Marcos’ performance while 44% distrust him. This is despite improvements in his approval and trust ratings, which climbed by 11 percentage points to 36% and 10 percentage points to 35%, respectively.

In contrast, Ms. Duterte posted a 55% approval rating against 27% (up 11 points) disapproval, maintaining a narrow majority of public support despite rising criticism over the past year.

The Vice-President also maintained a high public trust of 54%, compared with 26% (up 10 points) of Filipino adults saying they have little to no trust in her.

The results offer an early snapshot of the political balance ahead of the 2028 presidential race, showing how public sentiment is diverging between the country’s top two officials as their alliance continues to fray.

Ms. Duterte’s continued majority approval gives her a potential advantage as she prepares for her presidential bid, while Mr. Marcos’ plurality disapproval underscores the policy and economic pressures facing his administration, particularly on inflation and corruption, that could shape both his remaining years in office and his influence over the next national election.

“I am always grateful to our fellow Filipinos for their continued support and trust in my colleagues at the Office of the Vice-President… For me, whether there is a survey or not, I remain thankful because the trust and belief of the people in me are still there,” Ms. Duterte told reporters in Filipino on Monday, according to a transcript from her office.

The survey suggested the President is facing lingering skepticism nationwide, as distrust stood at 44%, exceeding the 35% who said they trust him. Ms. Duterte’s distrust rating was 26%, compared to 54% who trust her.

A majority of people living in Luzon approved of Mr. Marcos, posting a 54% approval rating in the region, while disapproval dominated in the Visayas (61%) and Mindanao (73%). The Vice-President also retained strong approval ratings in her bailiwicks of Visayas and Mindanao, where she garnered 72% and 95%, respectively.

“Overall public assessment of the performance and trustworthiness of the President and the Vice-President is essentially constant between December 2025 and March 2026 but notable changes occur year on year,” a statement from Pulse Asia read.

Public opinion on the administration and the Vice-President may be shaped as much by political roles and media influence as by policy performance, according to political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University Hansley A. Juliano.

“A bulk of these satisfaction results are very much tied to the nature of their job and their visibility,” he said via Facebook Messenger, noting that presidents in the Philippines rarely maintain strong popularity in the second half of their term.

He added that the continued reach of networks linked to former President Rodrigo R. Duterte has helped sustain support for the family’s political brand.

“For good and bad, the Dutertes continue to control disinformation networks, and unfortunately they are not being prosecuted or dismantled by the Marcos administration,” he said. “Hence, not only are they able to continue spreading their content, they also continue to hold their audiences captive.”

The Vice-President’s standing may also stem from her position outside the cabinet of Mr. Marcos effectively allowing her to act as a “lightning rod” for a loyal opposition.

“By virtue of being ousted from a cabinet post and not being given a chance to, essentially, ‘make mistakes,’ the VP now has the means to perform the role of ‘lightning rod’ for ‘loyal opposition’ to the government,” Mr. Juliano added.

POLICY PRESSURES
The survey also underscored the economic and governance pressures facing the administration as Filipinos aired their most urgent national concerns.

Almost six in 10 Filipinos (59%) said the national government must take urgent steps to control the rising costs of goods as the inflation accelerated to 2.4% in February 2026 from 2% a month prior.

Inflation is followed by graft and corruption in government (47%) amid a widening flood control scandal and workers’ pay (36%) as labor groups push for a legislated wage increase to keep up with rising costs.

Filipinos showed low concern for some national issues, including responding to calamity-hit areas (8%), reducing taxes (7%), supporting small entrepreneurs (5%), protecting overseas Filipino workers (3%), safeguarding national territorial integrity (2%) and countering terrorism (1%).

Across regions and socioeconomic classes, only inflation (53% in the Visayas; 62% in Luzon and Mindanao; 57-63% across classes) and government graft and corruption (58% in Luzon outside Metro Manila; 64% in Class ABC) register as majority priorities.

Conversely, the least cited concerns remain the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (1-4% by region; 1-3% by class), national territorial integrity (near zero to 4% by region; virtually none to 2% by class), and terrorism (1-3% by region; almost zero to 2% by class).

The survey fieldwork was conducted from Feb. 27 to March 2, 2026, using face-to-face interviews, sampling 1,200 representative adults aged 18 and above with a ±2.8% error margin at the 95% confidence level; subnational estimates for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao carry a ±5.7% margin of error.