Pulse Asia: Marcos Jr.’s Trust, Performance Ratings Sink Deeper

Filipinos continue to withhold majority approval and trust ratings from the President (29% and 28%, respectively) while most of them express appreciation for and trust in the Vice-President (56% and 58%, respectively) 

Performance ratings. Half of Filipino adults (50%) have a negative assessment of the President’s quarterly performance. Appreciation for the same is more pronounced than indecision (29% versus 21%). In contrast, the Vice-President registers a small majority approval rating (56%). Almost a third of the adult population (29%) is critical of the latter’s work while the rest (15%) expresses ambivalence on the matter. (Please refer to Table 1.)

Table 1
AWARENESS & PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(Row Percent)

The President fails to score any majority approval rating across areas and classes. Instead, near to big majorities in the Visayas (53%), Mindanao (79%), Class ABC (58%), Class D (48%), and Class E (52%) express disapproval for the latter’s work in the past three (3) months. Essentially the same presidential approval and disapproval figures are posted in Metro Manila (35% versus 43%) and the rest of Luzon (40% versus 36%). (Please refer to Table 2.)

Table 2
PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(In Percent)

Approval for the Vice-President’s performance is the predominant sentiment among Visayans (61%) and Mindanawons (89%) as well as in Classes D and E (57% and 70%, respectively). The latter registers almost the same approval and disapproval scores in Metro Manila (40% versus 45%), the rest of Luzon (42% versus 41%), and Class ABC (44% versus 35%). 

Trustworthiness ratings. A bare majority overall distrust rating (51%) is obtained by the President in July 2026. A little over a quarter of the adult population (28%) trust the latter while about a fifth (21%) is undecided regarding his trustworthiness. As for the Vice-President, she enjoys a small majority trust figure (58%). Distrust in the latter is more marked than ambivalence on the matter of trusting or distrusting her (27% versus 16%). (Please refer to Table 3.)

Table 3
AWARENESS & TRUST RATINGS OF
TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(Row Percent)

Across geographic and socioeconomic subgroupings, distrust in the President prevails in the Visayas (57%), Mindanao (77%), Class ABC (57%), and Class E (54%). Additionally, big plurality to near majority distrust figures are recorded in Metro Manila (42%) and Class D (49%). Virtually the same trust and distrust ratings are granted to the latter by those in the rest of Luzon (39% versus 38%). (Please refer to Table 4.)

Table 4
TRUST RATINGS OF TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(In Percent)

In the case of the Vice-President, she is trusted by most Visayans (65%), Mindanawons (95%), and those belonging to any of the socioeconomic classes (51% to 70%). Nearly the same vice-presidential trust and distrust ratings are registered in Metro Manila (41% versus 43%) and the rest of Luzon (41% versus 37%).

While the Vice-President’s overall performance and trustworthiness scores remain essentially unchanged between March 2026 and July 2026, the President experiences a decline in his national approval and trust ratings (both at -7 percentage points) and an increase in his disapproval and distrust figures (+5 and +7 percentage points, respectively) during the same period

Comparative performance ratings. Approval for presidential performance eases between March 2026 and July 2026 not only nationally (-7 percentage points) but also in the rest of Luzon (-14 percentage points), Class ABC (-21 percentage points), and Class D (-6 percentage points). On the other hand, disapproval becomes more pronounced in the Philippines as a whole (+5 percentage points), particularly in the rest of Luzon (+10 percentage points) and Class ABC (+28 percentage points). Changes in indecision levels are marginal in nature. (Please refer to Table 5.)

Table 5
COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF
TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

March and July 2026 / Philippines
(In Percent)

There are few changes in the Vice-President’s performance ratings during the period March 2026 to July 2026. These are the increase in the latter’s approval score in the rest of Luzon (+11 percentage points), the drop in approval figures in Metro Manila (-10

percentage points) and the Visayas (-11 percentage points), and the rise in the level of disapproval in Metro Manila (+18 percentage points). Similar to the President, the VicePresident does not experience any marked movements in her performance indecision figures between March 2026 and July 2026. 

Comparative trustworthiness ratings. At the national level, the President’s trust rating drops (-7 percentage points) while distrust in him becomes more manifest (+7 percentage points) from March 2026 to July 2026. In the different areas and classes, trust ratings go down in the rest of Luzon (-15 percentage points), Class ABC (-14 percentage points), and Class D (-7 percentage points). Distrust in the President becomes more notable in the rest of Luzon (+16 percentage points), Class ABC (+14 percentage points), and Class D (+6 percentage points). Indecision toward the latter’s trustworthiness is basically constant nationally as well as across geographic and socioeconomic subgroupings. (Please refer to Table 6.)

As is the case with her comparative performance ratings, the Vice-President registers only a few significant changes in her trustworthiness ratings from March 2026 to July 2026. These are the rise in the level of trust in the latter among those in the rest of Luzon (+12 percentage points) and Class ABC (+20 percentage points), the drop in the level of indecision in Metro Manila (-11 percentage points), and the decrease in her distrust rating in Class ABC (-16 percentage points).

Table 6
COMPARATIVE TRUST RATINGS OF
TOP NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

March and July 2026 / Philippines
(In Percent)

Inflation remains the top most urgent national concern of Filipinos (57%); few national changes occur between March 2026 and July 2026

Majority of Filipino adults (57%) are concerned about the need to control the rising prices of commodities in the country. Inflation is followed by corruption (43%) and workers’ pay (36%). In fourth place is a group of urgent national concerns that includes poverty (26%) and criminality (22%). Illegal drugs (19%) and employment (15%) comprise a fifth set of responses while a sixth group of issues includes lowering oil prices (13%), promoting peace (11%), addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (11%), and enforcing the rule of law (11%). Helping farmers (9%), reducing taxes (7%), protecting the environment (6%), helping small entrepreneurs (5%), and responding to the needs of calamity-hit areas (5%) make up another group of national issues that Filipinos say the national administration must immediately address. On the other hand, the least often mentioned urgent national concerns are defending national territorial integrity (3%), protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (2%), and preparing to face terrorist threats (1%). (Please refer to Table 7.)

Table 7
MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(In Percent / Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed)

Controlling inflation is the top first-ranked urgent national concern (27%) while the leading second-ranked responses are controlling inflation (17%), fighting graft and corruption (16%), and increasing workers’ pay (13%). In terms of third-ranked urgent national concerns, the most often cited ones are controlling inflation (13%), fighting graft and corruption (13%), increasing workers’ pay (9%), and reducing poverty (9%). 

In most areas and classes, inflation is the leading urgent national concern – the rest of Luzon (57%), the Visayas (65%), Mindanao (50%), Class D (58%), and Class E (57%). Metro Manilans are most concerned about corruption (56%) and inflation (55%) while in Class ABC, the most often mentioned urgent national concerns are corruption (48%), inflation (47%), and workers’ pay (40%). In contrast, issues that are consistently cited by less than 10% in all geographic and socioeconomic subgroupings are supporting small entrepreneurs (4% to 6% and 3% to 5%, respectively), protecting the environment (3% to 8% and 5% to 6%, respectively), helping calamity-hit areas (3% to 7% and 4% to 8%, respectively), defending national territorial integrity (2% to 5% and 2% to 3%, respectively), protecting overseas Filipino workers (both at 1% to 3%), and dealing with terrorism (both at 1% to 2%). (Please refer to Table 8.)

Table 8
MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS: OVERALL

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(In Percent / Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed)

Overall, the public’s sense of urgency as regards poverty and criminality becomes more marked from March 2026 to July 2026 (both at +5 percentage points) while the reverse holds true in relation to the issues of agricultural assistance (-5 percentage points) and job creation (-6 percentage points). In the various areas and classes, the following changes in public opinion about urgent national concerns may be noted during the same period: 

1.            controlling inflation — +12 percentage points in the Visayas, -12 percentage points in Mindanao, and -16 percentage points in Class ABC;

2.            fighting graft and corruption — -11 percentage points in the rest of Luzon, -15 percentage points in the Visayas, +11 percentage points in Mindanao, and -16 percentage points in Class ABC;

3.            increasing workers’ pay — -11 percentage points in the rest of Luzon and +18 percentage points in the Visayas;

4.            reducing poverty — +10 percentage points in Mindanao;

5.            fighting criminality — +10 percentage points in the rest of Luzon and +12 percentage points in the Visayas;

6.            fighting the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs — -15 percentage points in Mindanao;

7.            creating more jobs — -7 percentage points in Class D; 

8.            addressing the problem of involuntary hunger — -10 percentage points in Metro Manila;

9.            helping farmers — -6 percentage points in Class D; and

10.         protecting the environment — -12 percentage points in the Visayas (-12 percentage

points). (Please refer to Table 9.)

Table 9
MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS

March and July 2026 / Philippines
(In Percent / Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed)

Table 9
MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS

March and July 2026 / Philippines
(In Percent / Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed)

The national administration fails to obtain a majority approval rating across the 19 issues on which its quarterly performance is evaluated in July 2026; notable movements in the latter’s performance ratings on 13 issues occur from March 2026 to July 2026

Approval is the plurality sentiment toward the present dispensation’s efforts to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (46%) and help calamity-hit areas (42%). On the other hand, big plurality to huge majority disapproval ratings are obtained by the national administration for its initiatives to protect the environment (38%), enforce the rule of law (43%), create more jobs (45%), increase workers’ pay (47%), promote peace (50%), address the problem of involuntary hunger (53%), reduce taxes (54%), fight criminality (56%), lower the price of gasoline (59%), reduce poverty (61%), fight corruption in government (68%), fight illegal drugs (70%), and control inflation (77%). (Please refer to Table 10.)

Table 10
PERCEIVED URGENCY OF SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES AND
THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION'S PERFORMANCE RATINGS

June 28 - July 3, 6, 2026 / Philippines / PR1&2
(Row Percent)

Nearly the same disapproval and indecision figures are scored by the administration on the issues of preparing to face terrorist threats (37% versus 35%) and helping small entrepreneurs (38% versus 36%). Meanwhile, there is a three-way split in public opinion about the latter’s work in defending national territorial integrity (34% approval, 32% indecision, and 34% disapproval) and helping farmers (33% approval, 33% indecision, and 35% disapproval). 

Levels of appreciation for the incumbent administration’s handling of eight (8) issues drop between March 2026 and July 2026, namely, helping farmers (-5 percentage points), enforcing the rule of law (-5 percentage points), protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (-7 percentage points), defending national territorial integrity (-7 percentage points), preparing to face terrorist threats (-8 percentage points), reducing taxes (-8 percentage points), promoting peace (-9 percentage points), and fighting criminality (-12 percentage points). (Please refer to Table 11.)

Disapproval ratings go up during the same period in relation to the administration’s work in creating more jobs (+5 percentage points), enforcing the rule of law (+6 percentage points), helping small entrepreneurs (+6 percentage points), addressing the problem of involuntary hunger (+8 percentage points), reducing taxes (+8 percentage points), reducing poverty (+8 percentage points), defending national territorial integrity (+10 percentage points), fighting criminality (+10 percentage points), dealing with terrorist threats (+12 percentage points), and promoting peace (+14 percentage points).

As regards indecision, it becomes more pronounced in the areas of helping farmers and protecting the environment (both at +5 percentage points) while it eases on the issues of promoting peace (-5 percentage points) and reducing poverty (-7 percentage points).

Table 11
COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF THE NATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION ON SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES

March 2026 and July 2026 / Philippines
(In Percent)