Filipinos’ trust in Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte dropped
The trust rating of President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte dropped based on a recent survey.
Marcos and Duterte were a strong tandem back in 2022. Their Uniteam created a great impact on the political scene at that time. Despite the criticism and questions regarding their credibility, they reigned supreme.
However, their Uniteam is no longer unified now. Conflict and issues occurred between them and their allies. Fiery statements and strong accusations were thrown at each other.
Previously, VP Sara Duterte had her early announcement regarding her political move. She declared that she will run for president in the 2028 elections. Following that declaration, she maintained her approval rating, based on the survey done by Pulse Asia between February 27 and March 2, 2026.
Based on the article in Abante News, Publicus Asia Inc. released a recent survey, and it showed that two of the highest officials in the Philippine government dropped their trust rating.
Although the Vice President’s rating remains higher than that of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., both their approval ratings and trust ratings have declined, according to the latest survey results.
Publicus Asia Inc.’s Pahayag 2026 First Quarter (PQ1-2026) survey stated that President Marcos recorded a 19 percent approval rating and 13 percent trust rating. The latest survey was conducted from March 21 to 24, with a total of 1,509 respondents nationwide.
This is lower compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, when he had a 22 percent approval rating and 15 percent trust rating.
The reasons for the decline are the alleged failure to hold a “big fish” accountable in the flood control controversy (23 percent), the issue of transferring former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague despite the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute (16 percent), and dissatisfaction with the government’s response to rising gasoline prices (16 percent).
Although VP Sara’s rating is still higher, his approval rating has dropped even more, dropping to 28 percent from 34 percent, and her trust rating to 26 percent from 31 percent.
Despite this, the Vice President still has the highest rating among key government officials. Reportedly, these affected her rating decline: four impeachment complaints against her (33 percent), events related to her father’s case at the International Criminal Court (15 percent), and her statements saying she regretted supporting Marcos in the 2022 elections (15 percent).
